Follow the Stars
by Phantom Rosabelle
Summary: Revised and rewritten, originally posted March of 05. Ashley, Karone, and Zhane search for Andros after he is captured, but can they save him in time? Andros/Ashley with some Karone/Zhane. Warning: torture.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Not mine

_A/N: This story is being revised and rewritten. Why? Because there were several problems with the first version, and it was annoying me. This version will be much better, and (hopefully) make much more sense. (If you're interested in reading the original version, go to Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow's homepage.) Other than that, please read and review. _

Chapter 1

**Somewhere far away**

He'd lost track of the days soon after he'd been brought here, but he knew that it had been weeks, if not months already. He'd been captured by bounty hunters, but why he didn't know. It was fair to assume that there was some evil entity with a vendetta against him, but there was never any clue to who his captor was, there was only the days passing in what had become a bleak routine.

Most of the time, he was left alone in the pitch blackness of his small, cold cell. With nothing to do, he lay motionlessly on the hard metal cot, alternately plotting his escape and thinking of his fiancé. He was fed every few days, the intervals becoming longer and longer. Every day without fail, he was hauled away by the two guards to be beaten savagely. A punishment of some sort, he supposed, but he had no clue as to why he was here.

The door to his cell grated open, and he was blinded by the sudden light that streamed in through the door, big enough for only one person to occupy the doorway, a precaution against his escape.

There were two guards, both wearing long black cloaks draped over their heads. Niether of them had spoken a word to him in the whloe time that he had been in this place.

The one to his right motioned for him to stand. As he always did, he considered refusing, but in the end, he stood. He was painfully aware that they were slowly killing him, and he was determined to survive as long as he needed to in order for him to think up an escape plan that would succeed where all his previous attempts hadn't.

Now the guard was motioning impatiently for him to approach them. He did, sullenly, and could not help feeling disgusted with himself for obeying them. The fact that obeying went along with living did little, if anything at all, to make him feel better. He'd been a warrior much of his life, and he should not fear death. He never had before.

As soon as he was near enough to his guards, their hands lashed out and clamped down firmly just above his elbows. The speed at which they moved always startled him, and convinced him that he wasn't dealing with anything human.

Their grip on him painful now, the two guards dragged him down a corridor so blindingly white that it seemed a completely different world from the dark hole that he was forced to live in.

They stopped abruptly in front of a door, hardly distinguishable from the walls surrounding it. The door slid open smoothly, silently, the walls in the interior of the room it opened into the same bright white, and it took several moments for it to register that the door had opened at all.

When he looked past the walls, his heart sank at what he saw. This would be different than the beatings that he had received before, but he didn't try to delude himself into thinking that it would be any less painful. On the contrary, he had no doubts that it would hurt more.

The walls of the room were lined with various pieces of machinery and equipment that he would much rather not know the uses for, and several consoles that contained writing in one of the few languages that he had not managed to pick up at least a rudimentary knowledge of in his adventures.

In the center of the room, there was a cot, not dissimilar from the one in his cell, except for the straps that were attatched to it, and currently folded up neatly. Clearly, this cot had been designed to have someone strapped down to it. What would happen once they were strapped down was made just as obvious by the electrodes on the small table alongside the cot, although he wished that it wasn't.

His guards thrust him into the room, the door sliding shut as soon as they themselves passed through it. There was no audible clicking of a lock, but he knew that he could never open the door, and instead of wasting his energy on a futile attempt to do so, he braced himself for what was coming next.

Pride prevented him from resisting when he was forced onto the cot, and he simply lay back, letting himself be strapped down. The straps were drawn painfully tight around his wrists and ankles especially, although the binds on his chest and stomach were making breathing a challenge.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the door slide open again, and another figure entered. This one was not cloaked, and he could see the man's face clearly. He was old, far past sixty, with wisps of white hair scattered randomly across his otherwise bald head. His icy blue eyes were cold, and held a hint of excitement. Clearly, he enjoyed what he did.

"Well, Red Ranger," he said, his voice no warmer than his gaze. "It seems you are not as strong as you once believed yourself to be, and now you will pay for it."

Andros started as he was spoken to. He hadn't heard spoken words since before he'd been captured. Now that he had something to compare it against, he preferred the silence.

A thin bronze ring had been fitted across his forehead as he'd been ambushed. It was slightly too small for his head, something he didn't doubt had been purposeful, and he could feel it chafing against his skin every time he moved his head. Now, though, it was being torn off, and Andros clenched his teeth as he felt his skin tearing, no doubt drawing blood in at least one place.

Two electrodes were attatched to his forehead where the ring had been, and Andros did his best not to shudder as he felt the cold metal touch his skin, determined not to let them see his fear. One of his guards made a sudden movement, and then he felt the electrodes being ripped off, and the ring was jammed back over his head.

Too late, Andros realized why. His fear had been at the front of his mind, but in the back of his mind, he'd felt the telepathic senses that he hadn't felt in months. Berating himself for not being more alert, he wondered if Ashley had noticed anything, had sensed anything at all that might lead to his rescue.

He stopped thinking of Ashley as the electrodes were reattatched to his head, this time higher up on his forehead, above the ring. His head was already aching, but Andros knew it was going to get much worse than a simple headache.

Without any warning, or a chance to brace himself, he heard the flip of a switch. The pain that followed drove everything else out of his mind, and he screamed, his entire body flooded with agony.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Not mine

_**Melissa: **Thank you. You really re-read this story all the time? Wow, I had no idea it was that good. Andros will probably get hurt about the same. The same goes for all of Ashley's almost-dying experiences. I'm glad you like the title, I have no idea where it came from. :P_

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** No, the first chapter's pretty much the same. But you do have to read it all again. :P_

_**gobball:** A lot of people liked the last one. I hope you'll all like this one just as much.:P_

_**the-power-of-love:** Thanks, for this time and last time. :P Here's more._

_**DizneeDol:** Okay, if you're sure... thanks. :P_

_**Arwennicole:** Thanks. And I updated, here's more. :P_

Chapter 2

**KO-35**

"Goodbye, you guys," Ashley said sadly, as she hugged Zhane and Karone. "I'll be back as soon as I can... You'll tell me the second you find **anything**, right?"

"Of course we will," Karone assured her, squeezing the other girl hard in response to her pleading look. "Don't worry. He's out there, and we'll find him, I promise."

Ashley nodded uncertainly, and did her best to smile bravely, but inside she was a mess of emotions, mostly anger, both at herself for leaving, and at her parents for insisting that she come home for a visit now. No matter how much she begged them to understand, they'd managed to guilt her into making the trip back to Earth.

"Good luck," Ashley managed to say, the words coming out automatically, as if believing that Andros could be found would make him found.

"You too," Zhane said, feeling pity rise up in him for the former yellow ranger. "Come back soon."

"I will," Ashley promised. Without another word, she teleported herself to the Astro Megaship, eerily empty and quiet, not even Alpha 6 for company.

"Welcome, Ashley," Deca said, her red light blinking as she spoke.

"Hi, Deca," Ashley said wearily. "Set a course for Earth."

She couldn't help remembering the time that Andros had said those words as he'd appeared on the bridge, just as she couldn't help feeling completely alone. Was this how Andros had felt during the two long years between the invasion of KO-35 and his first meeting with the Turbo Rangers?

"And search for any signs of Andros," Ashley added, glancing down forlornly at the engagement ring on her finger.

"Of course, Ashley," Deca replied.

Ashley sat back in the seat and sighed. _Andros found Karone,_ she told herself firmly. _If he managed that, then there's no way that you, Zhane, and Karone can't find **him.**_

She tried very hard not to think about the fact that eleven years passed before Andros finally had his sister back. She tried very hard not to think about who Karone was when Andros had finally found her. She tried very hard not to think at all.

But if she wasn't thinking, then she was remembering, and thinking horrible thoughts was preferrable to remembering horrible memories. The last time she'd seen Andros before he'd vanished surfaced as one of those horrible memories, and she winced, trying to block it out of her mind.

"Deca, can you give me some sort of sedative?" Ashley asked, glancing up at Deca's eye. "I'll sleep all the way back to Earth."

"If you wish for a sedative, stop by the medical bay on the way to your room," the AI said after a long pause. "When do you wish for me to wake you?"

"An hour before we get back to Earth," Ashley said, walking off of the bridge. She found herself talking to Deca's other eyes. "That should leave me enough time to get ready."

"Would you like me to prescribe you an antidepressant?" Deca asked her, a concerned note creeping into her voice. "Your brainwaves are showing unusual, unhealthy levels of anxiety and stress."

"No, that's okay, Deca," Ashley replied, after considering it for a moment. The offer was tempting, but she hated pills of any sort, and didn't want to take one that she didn't absolutely need. "I'll be fine."

There were two tiny white pills in a small paper cup waiting for her in the medical bay. Ashley picked up the cup and headed for her room, anxious to fall asleep. The pills should keep nightmares away, too, she thought grimly.

Her room was just as she'd left it, and the familiar sight brought a small measure of comfort to her. Placing the paper cup on the dresser, she kicked off her boots and socks, throwing her jacket carelessly on top of them. Removing the pills from the cup, she went into the bathroom, filled the cup with water, and swallowed the pills as quickly as she could, doing her best not to gag on them.

The effect was almost instantaneous, and Ashley felt her eyelids closing even as she stumbled out of the bathroom. As she collapsed onto her bed, she thought for a brief second that she felt a flicker of Andros' presence in her mind, but she was losing consciousness fast, and it didn't last long enough for her to hold onto.

"Andros," she murmured, her eyes already closed. Ashley could picture him perfectly behind her closed eyelids, and she hoped fervently that the pills would suppress her subconscious mind. If she had one more nightmare, she was going to fall apart, and she couldn't fall apart, or else she would never see him again.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Not mine

_**Melissa:** When am I going to kill Ashley for real? You'll see... :P I did think up the title, I just don't know how it's relevant to the story. And I love hurting Ashley, and I love hurting Andros. But then I love happily-ever-after endings, so I'll go from super depressing to happy fluff. :P_

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Your/my Armin and Paige won't be in here, exactly. Do I still have the old version? Um, from Chapter 5 till the end. I accidentally deleted the first four chapters. Whoops. :P_

_**DizneeDol:** Thanks, here's more._

_**SpookyandLumpy:** Yeah, there was another version of this story that I wrote, but I'm rewriting it now because in the first one, I wasn't quite sure what I was doing until halfway through the story, and this version should be better. _

_**the-power-of-love: **Thanks, here's more._

Chapter 3

**Somewhere far away**

Andros screamed as his body convusled in pain. His body strained against the straps holding him down as he tried desperately to escape his torture. Burning, blinding pain stabbed at him for minutes, unrelenting, growing stronger and stronger, until it stopped abruptly.

Andros lay there with his eyes closed, gasping, as the metal discs were torn off his forehead, and he heard the cold voice of the man speaking again.

"It will not work," he was insisting to the two guards, who so far had remained silent and impassive. "I cannot draw out his life force with that device still around his head."

There was a brief pause, and Andros assumed that some sort of reply had been given.

"The ring prevents him from using both his telepathy and his telekinesis," the man said impatiently. "But a large portion of his life force is tied to that part of his brain, Master. If the ring is around his head, it is impossible for me to access it."

There was another pause, this one long, and the silence began settling itself over Andros again.

"Of course I am not questioning you, Master! I wouldn't dream of it," the man insisted. "I am only trying to make it known to you that- No, if we repeat the test too soon, there is a good chance that he will die."

He was going to have to go through this all over again? Andros bit his lip and swallowed hard.

He felt the restraints being undone, and attempted to sit up. Searing pain shot through his entire body as he did so, and he didn't quite manage to keep himself from crying out. The man laughed cooly.

"You can take him back now," he said to the two guards, who remained standing by the door. The guards didn't move, and the old man laughed again. He turned to Andros and ordered him, "Walk."

Andros stared blankly at him, as if unsure what he was supposed to do. Then slowly, as the word registered, an enormous sense of helplessness descended upon him. "I can't," he said weakly, gripping the sides of the cot with his hands to keep himself from collapsing.

"You can walk," the old man said menancingly, "or we can run another test on you right now."

Andros forced himself off of the cot as quickly as he could. As he'd suspected, his legs refused to support him, and he collapsed on the floor. He put out his hands to catch himslef, and his palms slammed into the ground hard, jarring his elbows as he landed.

He managed to strangle the yelp of pain that welled up in his throat, but the two guards and the old man were still waiting, and he knew that they would have no qualms about hooking him right back up to that machine. After several minutes of struggling, Andros managed to balance himself on all fours, and began crawling painstakingly. After only a few feet, his arms gave way, and he fell forward, his chin striking the ground.

Now he heard laughter that wasn't coming from the old man, but he knew that it wasn't coming from his guards either. The sound resonated throughout the room, the floor shuddering slightly with the vibration. Andros closed his eyes and lay there unmoving, until he was kicked hard in the ribs.

He couldn't get up again; he just didn't have the strength. Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself forward, sliding along the floor on his stomach. His arms were screaming in protest, but he ignored them, and inch by inch he slowly made his way across the floor to where his guards were waiting. He kept his head down, not wanting to give them the satisfaction of seeing how weak he was.

"That wasn't walking," the man observed from behind him. Andros closed his eyes, dreading whatever was coming next. The old man walked up to him, and Andros winced as he was kicked hard in the ribs. "Take him away."

Andros choked as one of the guards grabbed him by the neck of his shirt, and pulled him up so that he was half-kneeling. As he gasped for air, he felt himself being grabbed just above the elbow. The two guards hauled him to his feet and dragged him out of the room, and back to his cell. For once, Andros was grateful for them; if they hadn't been there, he wouldn't have been able to support himself. As it was, they were dragging him along with them more than he was walking.

He was thrown into his cell, and collapsed on the floor, not even having the energy required to lift himself onto the cot. His arms shaking with the effort, he slowly raised his hands to the ring around his head, tugging as hard as he could on it, his nails digging into his skin as he tried desperately to get it off. With that on his head, he had no hope of rescue.

"Ashley," he whispered. "Please save me."

**The Megaship**

"We are approaching Earth."

"Wha...?" Ashley asked groggily, her body unwilling to move. "Where am I?"

"You are onboard the Astro Megaship," Deca replied. "You asked to be awakened at this time."

"Oh," Ashley said, remembering. With a sigh, she pulled herself out of bed and headed into the bathroom, hoping that a shower would make her more alert. While the warm water did slightly relax her tense muscles, it did almost nothing to lift the daze that seemed to have engulfed her mind.

Still half-asleep, Ashley stepped out of the shower and dried herself off as quickly as she could, but she had a feeling that it took much longer than it should have. She was half dressed in her flight suit before she remembered that she was going to her parents house. It would be better to wear clothing that they were used to seeing her in.

With a heavy sigh, she began searching through her closet in search of something that she hoped would make her look more or less normal. Selecting some, she looked at herself in the mirror, hoping she looked at least presentable. She grimaced at her reflection, although she didn't look all that bad. She was wearing a blue jean skirt, and a yellow blouse worn unbuttoned over a white tank top. Ashley brushed her hair as quickly as she could, and grabbed up the first pair of shoes she could find. The clothes didn't seem to fit quite right on her, but she didn't really notice, or care.

"Are we to Earth yet?" she asked, looking longingly back at her bed. The idea of ordering Deca to turn around and sleeping for several more hours was certainly appealing to her right now.

"We arrived twenty-two minutes ago," Deca informed her.

"Oh," Ashley said, not really caring. She slipped her communicator onto her wrist. "Can you teleport me to my parents house?"

"Certainly," Deca said.

"Thanks," Ashley said automatically, watching as the Megaship vanished in a streak of golden yellow light.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Not mine

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow: **Actually, I found the other chapters. I just gave the files different names, so I didn't see them before. I'll send it to you if you want. You failed? I'm sorry. You can take it again, right? That was a much more interesting threat than usual. :P_

_**Arwennicole: **I'm so mean to them, aren't I? But it'll end happily, I promise. :P_

_**the-power-of-love:** Here's more. You'll see some more of her parents in the next chapter, too. _

_**Melissa:** I changed the part with the twins. You'll see in the next chapter. And just so you know: I'm ALWAYS going to almost kill either Andros, Ashley, or both. And if I get bored with that, there's always their children. Wow, I'm evil, aren't I:P_

Chapter 4

**Earth**

"Hi, Mom, Dad," Ashley said without much enthusiasm, hugging both of her parents. "Hey, Jeff."

Her greeting to her brother was a little more genuine, and he gave her a small smile before embracing her.

"Ashley, why haven't you called us?" Mrs. Hammond demanded. "We've barely heard from you in the last three months."

"I know," Ashley said in what she hoped was an apologetic tone. "But I told you, I've been trying to find -"

"Andros," Mrs. Hammond finished. "We know, you've told us at least a dozen times. But you shouldn't feel like you have to avoid us just because your boyfriend ran off."

Ashley sighed. "He didn't run off, Mom."

"Then why isn't he here?" Mr. Hammond asked her sternly.

"Because he's gone," Ashley muttered, feeling tears press her eyes. She blinked them back furiously. If she started crying now, this was going to be a long day.

"I told you," Mrs. Hammond said to her husband, "we shouldn't have let her move to K... wherever with her boyfriend."

"Um," Ashley said guiltily, realizing that she'd never told them, "Mom, Dad, Andros and I are engaged."

"You're what?" her parents repeated together.

Ashley winced at the looks on their faces. This was going to be a long day.

"You are most certainly **not** engaged," her father said firmly. "Not to anyone, especially that alien boy."

"Dad," Ashley cried, frustrated. "I turned eighteen three months ago. I'm an adult, and you can't stop me from marrying him."

"That is true," Mr. Hammond said after a pause, "but seeing how he's run off, that doesn't seem to be much of a problem now, does it?"

"Dad," Jeff interrupted, seeing how Ashley was about to burst into tears, "maybe you should talk about this later. Ash is only going to be here for a few days and -"

"You're only going to be here for a few days?" Mrs. Hammond's eyes narrowed at her daughter. "Ashley-"

"I told you," Ashley said, exasperated. "I have to help Zhane and Karone search for Andros."

"Ashley," her mother said, her voice overly patient. "How long has he been gone?"

"Almost three months," Ashley admitted with a sigh. "But Andros-"

"Three months ago," Mrs. Hammond repeated. "Ashley, honey, you need to accept that he's not going to come back, and move on, and when you're ready, find someone else."

"You said the exact same thing to me when I was twelve and my dog ran away," Ashley said. "It worked then, but you can't just expect me to forget all about Andros."

"Why not?" she challenged. "He forgot about you."

Ashley sighed heavily. "Look, if this is all you're going to talk about, then maybe I should just go."

"No, sweetheart," Mr. Hammond said quickly, stepping in front of the door. "We can talk about it later. Stay, have some breakfast."

"All right," Ashley agreed half-heartedly. "But I mean it, I'm not talking about this anymore."

"Ash," Jeff said, catching her arm, and holding her back as their parents went into the kitchen. "I need to talk to you for a minute."

"Is this about Andros?" Ashley asked. "If it is, I'm not-"

"Ashley, I know he didn't run away," Jeff said. "I've seen how he looks at you. I just thought that you should know..."

"Know what?" Ashley demanded, as her brother hesitated. "Jeff, tell me!"

"I've heard Mom and Dad talking," Jeff said after a moment, "you know they never liked Andros much to begin with. They thought seventeen was too young to have a serious relationship, and then when they found out where he was from..."

"I know all this, Jeff," Ashley said. "What's the point?"

"Look, they let you move away from home because they thought they were humoring you and some silly romantic idea of yours," Jeff told her in a low voice, "but ever since you left, they've been thinking up plan after plan to get you to move back home, and now that Andros has disappeared, they're not going to stop trying to convince you that he got scared and bailed on you." He paused, and hesitated for a moment. "And they're going to tell you that if you don't move back home, then they'll never talk to you again."

"What?" Ashley asked, her eyes filling with tears. "They'd do that?"

Jeff nodded, and wrapped his arms around her comfortingly. "Don't worry, Ash," he said. "You'll be able to talk them out of it."

"I've got to go," Ashley said suddenly, turning towards the door.

"Wait, Ash," Jeff pleaded. "Don't go just yet. At least stay for breakfast."

"But - I -" Ashley sighed. "Fine. For you."

**Elsewhere**

Andros lay curled up on the floor, his body still aching from the previous day's torture. He didn't know exactly how much time had passed, but he guessed it was about twelve hours later.

He was stiff from lying almost motionlessly for so long, and slowly, cautiously, he tried to stretch out. His muscles protested, but slowly, he was able to roll over onto his other side.

It took him a long time to realize how cold he was; the numbness had already spread throughout most of his body. His fingertips were aching painfully, and had his toes not been covered by his boots, they would have as well.

Crawling over to the cot, he slowly raised himself to his knees, and lifted himself up onto it. He'd hoped it would be warmer than the concrete-like material that made up the floor of his cell. It was; slightly, and Andros curled up, making himself as small as he could, trying to keep some of his body heat inside his body.

With nothing else to do, he tried to think. Escape was probably out of the question now; it had taken him the better portion of an hour to get himself from the floor to the cot less than four feet away. Unless his guards were suddenly petrified, there was no way he could run from them.

That left him with only two possible ways out. He would either be rescued or he would die. He'd much rather be rescued, although death appealed to him more than torture. Sighing, Andros blocked the thought from his mind, and focued on getting himself rescued.

Yesterday, when they'd taken the ring off of his head, he'd sensed Ashley's telepathic presence in his mind. It was gone a split second later, but it had been there. The old man had said that he couldn't do the test properly with the ring on his head, leaving Andros to conclude that when they did it the next time, they would have to remove it yet again.

It would be off longer this time, he thought. If he started communicating with Ashley the second it came off, he'd be able to tell her where he was, and he would be rescued just as soon as she could get to him.

But where was he?

His hopes faded quickly as Andros was forced to admit to himself that he had no clue where he was. He'd been captured just outside of the house that he'd been sharing with Ashley, Zhane, and Karone. He could vaguely recall being on a ship, but it had made no stops. He'd been taken from theh ship directly from his cell. He hadn't managed to catch a glimpse of the planet he was on, either; he'd been blindfolded.

Still, his best plan was to get through to Ashley.

The door opened, and Andros groaned as the light hit his eyes, temporarily blinding him. He could already feel the pain coursing through him, and he tried to suppress the sudden fear that sprang up in him. It had been his fear that had prevented him from noticing that he could sense Ashley. It wouldn't happen again.

The ring was not removed until after he'd been securely strapped down, as if they feared he might run away somehow. As it was pulled off, Andros screamed out with his mind, _"ASHLEY!"_

**Earth**

Ashley stopped walking abruptly, halting in the doorway to the kitchen. She felt Jeff bump into her, and she heard him asking her something, and she waved her hand at him to shush him.

She'd heard him, she'd really heard him.

_"Andros?"_ she shouted, closing her eyes. _"Andros, where are you?"_

Jeff started as his sister screamed wordlessly, her body dropping to the floor limply. "Ashley, what's wrong?" he shouted, kneeling down beside her. Ashley continued screaming, the expression on her face one of extreme torment.

The sound of her screaming went on for what seemed like forever, and Ashley's face was contorted with pain. Ashley thrashed around on the floor, her eyes closed, her face growing paler by the second.

Then abruptly, it stopped, and Ashley lay on the floor, motionless. Her eyes blinked a few times, and the world seemed to fade away. As it did so, the thought she could hear Andros shouting for her.

_"Ashley!" _he cried. _"Please save me."_


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Not mine

_**Melissa:** You're laughing? But it's so sad. :smiles innocently: I like cliffies. Yeah, that's pretty much what her parents were doing. You'll see about Armin and Paige in this chapter. Kinda. :P_

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow: **Okay, I'll send you the story right away. Don't kill yourself. That's bad. But if you decide to anyway, remember to ... wait, I shouldn't be giving you tips on suicide. Moving on... I'll keep your secret. Just let me know when Jenny goes bye-bye. :P_

_**DizneeDol:** Here's some more. Of course I'll keep going, I'm not just going to stop in the middle. :P_

_**the-power-of-love:** Thanks. :P_

_**Jenny:** Hmmm, should I forgive you? I'll need to think about that one. But by the time I decide, your soul will probably be gone, so what's the point. I think AH/AY was trying to sell your soul to the devil so the devil would make her either a better writer or a better driver. :P Follow the Stars was really what gave me all my fame? I didn't know that. I thought it was Mirror, Mirror. The original one will be on AH/AY's site, so if you miss it, you can go read it there. Do I hate you? I'll decide after I read your super long review for Unsealed Fate. :P_

Chapter 5

**Earth**

When Ashely opened her eyes, she found herself in a room unfamiliar but easily recognizable. Ashley groaned as she took in the dull walls and the uncomfortable bed she was in, and wrinkled her nose at the smell of twenty different disinfectants. She was in the hospital.

Her eyes landed on her parents, who were staring down at her in anxious worry, and she did her best not to groan again. They weren't going to take it well when she told them that she needed to leave for KO-35 again immediately. She had to get to Karone and Zhane.

"Ashley, honey, how are you feeling?" her mother demanded. "What happened?"

"I don't know what happened," Ashley lied. "But I feel fine. Can I get out of here now?"

"Ashley, you went into some kind of fit," Mr. Hammond said. "You can't just walk out of the hospital."

"Why not?" Ashley challeneged. "There's nothing wrong with my legs."

"Get some rest," Mrs. Hammond ordered. "Besides, where would you go?"

"Nowhere," Ashley sighed. "I just really hate hospitals."

"We know, sweetheart," Mrs. Hammond said, "and we'll get you out of here as soon as we can."

"You might even have to extend your vacation here," her father added. "Won't that be fun?"

Ashley stared at him blankly for a second, and then reached for her communicator. Before any more time passed, she had to get to Zhane and Karone. She started when she realized that it was gone. Worse, her ring finger was bare.

Her parents watched her reaction, shifting uncomfortably. "The hospital thought you might be more comfortable with your communicator off."

"And I suppose they took my engagement ring, too?" Ashley asked sarcastically, furious. "Give it back!"

"You won't be needing it, young lady," her father said sternly.

"Get out!" Ashley shouted, tears in her eyes. "Give me back my ring or get out!"

"We'll be by to visit you later," her mother assured her as her parents both exited the room. Ashley stared after them in shock. How could they have done that? They were her parents.

Ashley drew her knees up to her chin, and let her face fall forward, tears dropping steadily from her eyes. Her left arm pillowed her head while her right hand clutched the necklace Andros had given her for her seventeenth birthday. Her parents hadn't taken that; they probably didn't know who it was from, and for that Ashley was unspeakably glad. She had never taken that necklace off, and she'd been intending to never remove her engagement ring either.

Sad as she was right now, Ashley could still smile at the memory of the day Andros had proposed to her, on the morning of her eighteenth birthday. She and the other rangers had been on KO-35 for the last month, helping them rebuild, and while she and Andros had grown closer than ever, she hadn't dared to dream that he'd want to spend his life with her.

_"Morning, Ash," Andros said as Ashley took a seat across from him._

_"Morning," she replied._

_He went back to eating his breakfast. She watched him, unblinking, until finally he said, "What?"_

_"Do you know what today is?" Ashley asked, hiding a smile. _

_Andros pretended to think about it. "Umm..."_

_"Andros!"_

_"Happy birthday, Ash," he said. He smiled. "Did I ever tell you that we don't celebrate birthdays on KO-35?"_

_Ashley laughed. "Last year. Right before you gave me this," she said, fingering the necklace that she hadn't taken off since that day._

_"Oh," Andros said._

_"Ashley?"_

_"Yeah?"_

_Andros got up, and took Ashley by the hand, pulling her to her feet. "I love you," he said._

_"I love you too," Ashley replied, as Andros wrapped his arms around her, brushing his lips gently over hers._

_Taking a deep breath, Andros released her and reached into his pocket, removing a small velvet box. Opening it, he dropped to one knee before her, and looked up at her, his eyes shining with the love he felt for her. Ashley stared at him open-mouthed._

_"Ashley, will you marry me?" he asked._

_Ashley's mouth opened and closed several times before she could say anything. Swallowing hard, she somehow managed to gasp out, "Yes," before sinking to the floor next to him and throwing her arms around his neck._

_She started crying as Andros slipped the precious diamond over her finger. "It's beautiful."_

_"It's not nearly as beautiful as you are," Andros told her seriously._

_Ashley laughed through her tears as he kissed her fingers. Andros pulled her to her feet with a smile, the happiness in his eyes matching what she felt._

_"Come here," Andros said softly, wiping her tears away. He kissed her, gently at first, then again and again with growing intensity. _

_"I love you," Ashley whispered._

_"I love you so much," he whispered back._

Ashley stared at her hand, crying quietly. There was a knock at the door, and she looked up, ready to order her parents out again. She sighed with relief when she saw it wasn't them.

A doctor that looked only a few years older than herself poked her head into the room. "I'll be with you in a minute," she said. "And your brother wants to know if he can come in."

Ashley nodded her head wordlessly, and her brother slipped quietly into the room.

"Hey, Ashy," he said, reverting to the childhood nickname she'd always despised. "How are you?"

"Jeff, Mom and Dad took my communicator," Ashley said, her voice quiet. "I need you to get it for me."

"I'll try," he said. "Ash, what's going on?"

"Can you try to get my engagement ring from them, too?"

"They took your ring?" Jeff asked, shocked. "I never thought they'd do something that low."

"Neither did I," Ashley muttered.

"I'll try, Ash," Jeff said, but he looked dubious. "What's going on? You know what's wrong with you, don't you?"

"There's nothing wrong with me," Ashley insisted.

"Ashley, you were screaming in pain for almost five minutes."

"I know," Ashley said impatiently, "but it's not because I was having some kind of a seizure or anything." She sighed. "I've told you before how Andros and I can talk telepathically, right?"

Jeff nodded. "But what-"

"Just before it happened, I heard him talking to me," Ashley hurried on. "He was asking me to save him. Wherever he is, he's being tortured, and I'm just feeling it too."

"Ashley," Jeff began, and then sighed. "I have a bad feeling about this, but I'll help you."

"Thank you," Ashley said fervently. "All I want to do is get out of here and get to the Megaship."

"You will do no such thing."

"I thought I told you to leave," Ashley said through gritted teeth as her parents entered the room again.

"We did," her mother said cheerfully. "But we're back now, and there is no way that we're about to let you go after that boy who -"

"Don't you dare say that he ran away one more time," Ashley cried.

"You are not going after that boy who ran away," Mr. Hammond said. "And that's final."

"Dad, you can't just order her around like that," Jeff said quietly, coming to her defense.

The door opened again, and the doctor stepped into the room.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," Ashley insisted. "When can I go home?"

"Your parents and your brother told me that you were having some kind of a fit," the doctor told her. "But it wasn't a seizure, and we can't find anything else that's wrong with you. I'd like to keep you overnight for observation, but we'll release you first thing in the morning."

"Okay," Ashley agreed. Overnight was better than nothing.

"Oh, and don't worry," the doctor added, almost as an afterthought, glancing at the chart in her hand, "there was no damage done to the baby."

Ashley choked. "Baby?"

Her words were echoed a moment later by her parents, who weren't looking pleased.

"Yes, you're three months pregnant," she was informed. "You didn't know?"

Ashley shook her head numbly, placing both hands on her abdomen. It was slightly swollen, but she hadn't noticed anything before.

"Wow," she murmured inaudibly, spreading her fingers to feel her entire stomach. "Thank you, doctor."

"You slept with him?" her mother burst out the moment the doctor left. "What's wrong with you?"

"I love him," Ashley snapped defensively.

"Wake up, Ashley," her mother snapped back, "and stop wondering why he left. He got what he wanted from you, that's all."

"You don't know him," Ashley said, glancing anxiously at the clock. It was only two in the afternoon. There was no way she could wait until morning, at least not anymore.

"And there's no reason why you should," her father said sternly. "You should have known better."

Her mother nodded her agreement. "Look at the situation you've gotten yourself into. You're just barely eighteen, you're pregnant, and the father's run away."

"Stop saying that!" Ashley shouted. "I'm trying to think."

"What's there to think about?" her mother demanded. "There's only one thing that you can do. You'll get an abortion-"

"No, I won't," Ashley interrupted, wrapping her arms around her stomach protectively. "I'm not killing our child."

"Our child?" her mother repeated. "Do you really think that boy is going to show up again just to raise a child that he didn't want?"

"Andros wouldn't leave me because I was pregnant!" Ashley cried. "And he didn't run away. Someone took him."

"Ashley-" Mr. Hammond began.

"Dad," Jeff interrupted, "you and Mom can't tell her what to do anymore. And you can't just take her stuff away either," he added. "Give it back."

"Please, just give me my communicator," Ashley said. "I need to tell Zhane and Karone where I am."

"Do I look that stupid?" her father asked her. "If I hand you that thing, you'll be gone."

"I can't," Ashley mumbled. "Teleportation is dangerous for the unborn child."

Her father gave her a skeptical look, and Ashley hoped he'd believe her. He pulled her communicator out of his pocket slowly, and hesitated. Jeff reached over and tugged both the communicator and Ashley's ring from his grasp, and handed them to his sister over their parents objections.

"Invite me to the wedding, will you?" he said as Ashley sild the ring back over her finger, breathing more easily.

"I will," Ashley said, giving him a small smile. "Thank you."

She slipped the communicator back onto her wrist and hit the button to teleport herself back to the Megaship. The hospital vanished in a sparkle of light, and she found herself standing on the bridge of the Astro Megaship.

"Deca, set a course for KO-35," were the first words out of her mouth. "Wake me up when we get there."

Without another word, Ashley turned around and went to her room as quickly as she could, and collapsed on her bed in tears. Earth could never be her home anymore, and she truly didn't care. All she cared about was finding Andros, and raising their child together.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Not mine

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** I love having Ashley pregnant with Andros' kids... or not his kids... just pregnant in general. :P_

_**Arwennicole:** Yeah, I don't like her parents either. For some reason, I don't write likable parents. I love Lion and Tiger. :P_

_**the-power-of-love:** Good, you hate her parents too. :P_

_**Melissa:** I think most people notice by three months, but I really don't know. I think at three months it's possible to not notice, but it's probably the absolute latest. Okay, ask more questions next time, and I'll act like I know the answers. :P_

_**DizneeDol: **I'm going to make you wait. :P But don't worry, it's a pretty short story. _

_**JakiBlue:** Yeah, this version's going to be pretty different. I'm glad you liked the first draft, and I hope you like this one too. :P_

Chapter 6

**KO-35**

"Zhane," Karone shouted, pounding on his door. "Wake up!"

She heard some sleepy mutters coming from the other side of the door, and was just about to pound on it even louder when it opened. Zhane stared at her for a second with glazed eyes before blinking and managing to make himself look semi-conscious.

"What?" he asked groggily. "Did you find something?"

Karone shook her head. "Something's wrong. The Megaship's on her way back, Deca sent us a transmission saying that Ashley requested us to be teleported to the Megaship as soon as we're in range. We won't be coming back anytime soon."

"That doesn't sound good," Zhane muttered, wincing inwardly. "How long until they get back to Karova?"

"They were fifteen minutes away from the system when the transmission came in," Karone said. "That was about five minutes ago."

"Do we need to bring anything?" Zhane asked, fully awake now.

Karone shook her head. "Not unless you want to. We've still got clothes on the Megaship, and there's plenty of weapons there, too."

"Lemme get dressed," Zhane said, closing his door again. Karone heard doors opening and being slammed shut, and a few things flying through the air. Five minutes later, Zhane reappeared, dressed in his black and silver flight suit. "Okay, I'm ready."

Karone's communicator beeped, and as she answered it, Zhane dived back into his room to search for his.

"Deca, is that you?"

"No, it's me," came Ashley's voice. "Are you guys ready?"

"Yes," Zhane shouted from his room, emerging again with his morpher in his hand. "Are you all right?"

"I'll explain later," Ashley said. "Deca, initiate teleportation sequence."

**The Megaship**

"Are you all right?" Zhane demanded as Ashley threw her arms around both him and Karone. "What happened on Earth?"

Ashley sighed heavily. "I'll give you the short version. Wherever Andros is, he's being tortured, and I feel whatever they're doing to him, and my parents disowned me because I'm pregnant with his baby."

Zhane blinked. "You're pregnant?"

Ashley nodded, her eyes filling with tears. "If I never see him again..."

"Don't say that," Karone said, alarmed, as Ashley started to cry. "Don't you give up, Ash."

Ashley took a deep breath, swallowing hard as she tried to control herself. "We have to find him," she said. "I heard his voice, you guys. He's still alive."

"We'll find him," Zhane assured her. "Did he tell you where he was?"

Ashley shook her head. "All I heard was 'Ashley, please save me.' Then I think I fainted, and I woke up in a hospital bed."

"Wait," Zhane said slowly. "When you say you feel what they're doing to him, do you mean that you just know that they're doing something, or that you feel the same thing he does?"

"I feel the same thing he does," Ashley said. "He's in so much pain... I don't think we have that much more time."

"How often?" Karone asked. "How often have you felt it?"

Ashley paused to think about it. "The first time was yesterday morning, and then twice on the way back."

"Twice in twelve hours?" Karone repeated. "That can't be good."

Ashley shook her head, tears slowly trickling out of her eyes. "I wish I could just take it all away from him somehow."

She sank down into Andros' old seat, burying her face in her hands. Zhane and Karone looked at each other, unspoken worry in their eyes. Ashley had never given up hope before, no matter how bad things had become.

"Ashley," Zhane sighed, touching her shoulder. "Snap out of it. Come on, Ash, we need your help."

"How am I supposed to help you?" Ashley whispered, looking up at him with tears in her eyes. "I can't go out and fight."

"You don't need to," Zhane said quietly. "You know where he is."

**Far, far away**

He wasn't going to be able to stand it for much longer. Even something as simple as breathing sent white-hot pain shooting through him, and his chest constricted, leaving him gasping for breath.

Andros clenched his teeth together before attempting to roll over, determined not to give them the satisfaction of hearing him cry out in pain. The temperature seemed to have dropped several degrees, and the floor was freezing cold beneath him, but it wasn't worth the effort it took to crawl across the small room to the cot.

Closing his eyes again, he tried to think of something other than the pain. It was difficult, but eventually his mind settled on Ashley, as it always did. The smallest hint of a smile appeared on his lips. He'd spoken to her, he'd really heard her voice. It didn't matter that it was her mental voice instead of her verbal voice. Hearing her only made his desire to see her again grow, and he was determined that he would.

He had to see her again, even if it was just for a second. He had to tell her how much he loved her. If he had to die, he couldn't without at least saying goodbye to her.

The door to his cell opened, and Andros moaned as the light hit his eyes, his head immediately beginning to pound. He was tempted to bring one hand up to cover his eyes, but in the end, it wasn't worth the effort and pain it would cost him. He would only be dragged away anyway.

He saw one of the guards motion impatiently for him to stand up. Andros strained to move even a small muscle, and the result was that his body screamed in pain and refused to move even an inch.

He couldn't see their faces, but there was something different about his two guards this time. There was something in the way that they moved that sent fear coursing through them. They walked a little faster, their strides more meaningful as they pulled him along, now supporting him completely.

Andros felt his fear grow, finally settling somewhere deep in the pit of his stomach. Whatever happened now, it would be different than what had happened before. Andros swallowed hard. There was only one thing more that they could do to him.

They were going to kill him now.

**The Megaship**

"What do you mean?" Ashley demanded, growing hysterical. "Zhane, tell me! How do I know where he is?"

"Whoa, Ash, calm down," the silver ranger said quickly, grasping her by the arms. "Breathe, all right?"

Ashley nodded, obediantly taking several deep breaths. "Zhane, what do you mean? Where's Andros? How do I know?"

Zhane looked helplessly at Karone, who nodded and took over explaining. "If you really feel what Andros does," she said softly, "then your soul is the other half of his. Your heart knows where he is, Ash, if you trust yourself enough to listen to it."

"I... what?" Ashley stared from one to the other, clearly confused. "But how do I -"

"Deca, bring up a star chart," Zhane ordered. "Look at the map, Ash. Where do you think he is?"

"I... I don't know," Ashley cried helplessly, looking at the dozens upon dozens of systems that made up the known universe. "How do we know he's even in one of these places?"

"You know, Ash," Zhane repeated. He gave her a long look, and she finally nodded, turning back to look at the maps.

She stared at it until her eyes grew blurry, but nothing changed. There was no moment of clarity, no startling revelation. There was only her, a desperate young woman, staring blanky at the universe, pinning all of her hopes on a hopeless task.

"Andros," she whispered. "Where are you?"

Ashley closed her eyes, her head falling forward into her hands once more in a gesture of complete and utter despair. There was no way she could do this. There was no way she could find him.

_"Ash?"_

_"Andros!" _she cried, her eyes snapping open. _"Where are you? Please, don't leave me again!"_

_"I'm sorry, Ash,"_ he said quietly. _"I think they're going to kill me now."_

_"No!" _she screamed at him._"Andros, no, please don't die. I love you."_

She was sobbing hard as she heard him reply distantly, _"I love you too, Ashley. I -"_

Then came the wave of now almost familiar agony, tearing through her as Andros' voice vanished and became a scream. Ashley could hear herself screaming along with him as she fell out of her seat and tumbled to the floor, writhing in pain. It didn't end this time, and grew stronger and stronger, until Ashley had no doubts that it had been meant to kill him.

It ended abruptly, as it always did, and Ashley closed her eyes, trying to get any sense of Andros, anything that would tell her he was still alive, anything that would tell her where he was.

_"Andros!" _she shouted desperately. _"Answer me, please. Don't be dead. Please don't be dead. Andros!"_

_"Ash?"_

It was only a whisper, and she was afraid to believe it was real, for fear that he'd be gone.

_"Ashley?"_

This time, she couldn't deny she'd heard it, and burst into tears of relief, her hands clutching at Zhane and Karone who had knelt down beside her several minutes before.

_"Andros, what's going on?" _she cried. _"Where are you?"_

_"I don't know where I am," _he cried out, frustration and fear evident in his tone. _"I've tried to figure it out over and over again, and I just can't."_

_"We'll find you, I promise," _Ashley told him, knowing well that it was one that they were unlikely to keep, at least while he was still alive, but she felt that she had to say it, to do anything to lessen his pain. _"Andros, what are they doing to you?"_

_"They want to kill me," _Andros said, his mental voice dull. _"I almost wish that they would. It hurts so much, Ash. I can't move. I can barely breathe. I wish I could kill myself, so they couldn't use me."_

_"Use you for what?" _Ashley asked, praying to whoever might be listening that he wouldn't die before she could get to him._ "Andros, tell me whatever you know, please."_

_"They want to kill me, but they need me for something," _Andros told her. _"I don't know what, but something just went wrong. I'm not strong enough for what they want, I think."_

_"Andros -" _

_"I love you, Ash," _Andros told her, cutting her off, and a moment later, he was gone from her mind.

"No!" Ashley shrieked. "Andros, come back!"

"What did he say?" Zhane asked gently, as he and Karone pulled her into a sitting position. "Ash..."

"He has no idea where he is," Ashley said, wiping her eyes. "They want to use him for something, and they need to kill him. They were about to kill him just now, but something went wrong..."

Her voice trailed off, and Karone grasped her shoulder hard, afraid that she might faint as her face grew white. "What's wrong?"

Ashley shook her head. "It's nothing, but for a second, I thought... never mind."

"No, tell us, Ash," Zhane pleaded. "It could be important."

"I just... if they were going to kill him just now, shouldn't it hurt more than when they were just torturing him?"

"It hurt less?" Karone asked.

Ashley nodded her head slowly. "The first one I felt, that one was much more painful."

"What do you think it means?"

"I think... I think the farther away from him I am, the less I feel of it," Ashley said hesitantly. "I think we've been looking in the wrong places. I think I know where he is."

**Elsewhere**

Andros felt his eyes filling with tears as Ashley was torn away from him yet again. It wasn't fair, he thought sadly. His life had been a living hell for eleven years, from the time his sister had vanished to the time he met the four powerless Turbo rangers and accepted them onto his team.

Ashley had changed him, and he didn't doubt that she'd saved him countless times as well, but he'd never thanked her for it, never even mentioned it. He'd told her that he loved her several times a day, but love didn't even begin to describe the depth of his feelings for her. He'd taken her for granted, and now he might have to wait until another lifetime to see her again.

He was jolted from his thoughts as he heard voices talking, and he forced himself to listen. Next time, he'd have something to tell Ashley. He could help her save him.

"... not enough strength in him alone, Master," the old man was saying plantively. "You can kill him if you like, but it will not revive-"

This time, there was an answer that Andros could hear, and the voice that was speaking branded itself into his mind.

"Then how can we do this?"

"You need another donor, Master," the old man said smoothly.

"Then find me one, Arcanus," the voice demanded.

"I already have," Arcanus said, laughing darkly. "A most perfect one, too."

"Who?"

"It's a surprise, Master," Arcanus said. "But you need another relic for another donor."

"I've already given you his sword," the voice snarled. "What else do you need?"

"Something else that was his," Arcanus said.

"A grain of sand. Would that do?"

Andros went cold. Suddenly, unexplicably, he knew what his purpose here was for. He was going to be used to revive Ecliptor.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Not mine

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow: **I know you knew it already, I just felt like pointing it out again. And I would too kill pregnant Ashley. If I could think of a semi-convincing way to bring her back to life. :P_

_**Arwennicole:** Yeah, Ecliptor would go for Karone, but can't bring him back without killing Andros and Ashley. _

_**DizneeDol:** Here's more. I should make you wait for the next one, though. Just kidding. :P_

_**Jenny:** Fine, I'll forgive you. But just this once, and only if it's a very good standalone. :P _

_**DeathDragon66:** Thanks, here's some more._

_**Melissa:** Okay, since you asked so nicely, I won't kill you. Are Andros and Ashley going to die? Do you really think I'd kill them? Um, don't answer that... and Ashley's pregnant, so that's where the baby is._

Chapter 7

**Far, far away**

"Well, Red Ranger," Arcanus sneered, "you may live yet another day."

Andros bit back a reply, one that would have certainly earned him another round of torture just for the fun of it. He kept his eyes closed and concentrated on listening to the conversation between Arcanus and the guards. He was surprised to find that the guards did indeed posess voices, but they were too low for him to hear.

Then the straps were undone, and Andros waited patiently to be dragged away to his cell, where he could curl up in a ball for another few hours, imagining what it would feel like to die.

Instead of feeling the painful grip of the two guards on his arms, Andros instead felt two hands slip under his shoulders and shove him roughly into a sitting position. His muscles protested and threatened to give out of him, which they did as soon as his support vanished. He fell back, moaning as his head hit the cot hard. An instant headache attacked him and he was hauled forward yet again, this time one guard on either side of him.

Arcanus regarded him with an air of scientific curiosity that was somewhat diminished by the gleefulness in his eyes. He obviously enjoyed the position he was in.

"Would you like to live, Red Ranger?"

Andros' silence earned him a fist in the gut, and he doubled over, moaning.

"Answer the question," Arcanus said calmly. "Would you like to live?"

"Yes," Andros said, his voice hoarse, and one hand clutching his stomach.

"If you are offered the chance to live in exchange for one service, would you take it?"

Andros considered, trying to figure out how they were going to trap him. "It depends."

"On...?" Arcanus prompted impatiently.

"On what you want me to do," Andros said.

"You will not know beforehand."

"Then I won't take it," Andros said. He knew all too well the kind what kinds of things he would be told to do, and he would much rather die than betray those that he loved.

"If you do not take it, you will die," Arcanus reminded him.

"There are some things that are worth dying for," Andros said simply, feeling tears sting his eyes as Ashley materialized in his mind.

"Some people, you mean?" Arcanus laughed, and Andros didn't flinch.

"Yes."

"The yellow ranger, for example," Arcanus said. "Is she one of those people?"

"Leave her alone," Andros growled. "Kill me if you want, but leave her alone."

"I don't follow your orders, Red Ranger," Arcanus said. "Tell me the teleportation override codes for the Astro Megaship."

"Never," Andros spat, trying to keep the horror out of his eyes. If they could get onto the Megaship, they could get to Ashley, and Karone, and Zhane. He would never give up the people that he loved, even if it meant that they would kill him right now.

Arcanus stepped back, and nodded to the two guards. Andros collapsed again as they let go of him, and he was knocked off the cot onto the floor, gasping in pain as he was kicked hard in the ribs. Instinctively, he covered his face, and not a moment too soon, as the fist of one of the guards descended, crashing into the arm he had thrown up just a second before.

With no energy to try to evade the blows, Andros retreated into a small, dark corner of his mind in an effort to protect himself as he was pummelled with fists, feet, and then hard objects that were thrown at him. Eventually, mercifully, he felt himself losing concsiousness, and at first was only too happy to let himself be pulled down into the darkness. He wasn't dying yet, and temporary relief was better than none at all.

One hand closed on his head, and a terrifyingly familiar sensation shot through his mind as the guard tried to extract his thoughts from his mind. Andros nearly started crying with despair as he realized who his guards were. No wonder he had never managed to escape them, or to even come close to overpowering them. They weren't human, and he couldn't beat them on his own, even if he was a fully morphed ranger. For once he was glad for the ring. It kept them from reading his mind. It kept them from getting to the Megaship.

Then he realized what would happen if he lost consciousness, and started struggling against the current that was pulling him down, forcing himself to feel every blow. Something struck him on the side of his head, and he cried out in pain. The air whistled just before something sliced through the skin on his back, and he moaned, but refused to hide again. They could read his mind even more easily if they knocked it out, and that was exactly what they intended to do.

Andros heard a dull roar fill his ears as his head exploded in pain, the direct result of another hard blow to the head. This time, he couldn't keep himself from slipping away, and the darkness overwhelmed him, as much as he tried to keep himself awake.

_Ashley, _he thought dazedly. _Run._

**the Megaship**

"I knew you could do it, Ash," Zhane said as he regarded the former yellow ranger and her worried expression. "Where is he?"

"Deca?" Ashley said tentatively. "Set a course for Earth."

"Earth?" Karone and Zhane repeated together.

"You think he's on Earth?" Zhane added.

"I... I'm not sure," Ashley admitted. "But he was so much closer when we were on Earth than just now."

She bit her lip anxiously, and Karone hastened to reassure her. "It's all right, Ash. If you think he's on Earth, then he's probably there."

"Thanks, you guys," Ashley mumbled. "I'll see you guys in a few hours."

"Hey, where are you going?" Zhane questioned. "Are you going to be all right?"

"I need to lie down for awhile," Ashley said, her eyes zoning in and out of focus. "The last few days have just been..."

"Go on," Karone urged her. "You look like you're about to faint. We'll call you the second anything happens."

Zhane tried to shake the uneasy feeling that surfaced as Ashley walked out of the room. If anything happened to her, Andros would never forgive him.

Ashley made it to her room without collapsing, and lay down on her bed, her eyes squeezed shut. Could Andros be on Earth? Could she have been so close to him hours before and not known it?

As she curled up, she felt a flicker of Andros' presence, but it was noticably different. For one, it was very faint, and very dull, and she didn't hear him at all.

_"ANDROS!" _she screamed, knowing instantly that something was very wrong.

_"Ash,"_ came his reply, softer than a whisper, dazed, and dulled by pain. _"Sorry. Go, run."_

_"Andros, what happened?"_ she demanded, willing him to stay alive.

_"Tried not to give it to them,"_ he answered slowly, over the course of several minutes._ "Took it from me. Coming for you."_

_"What did they take?" _Ashley asked him slowly, letting each word sink into his mind before saying another.

_"Tele... teleport... over..."_ He didn't finish, and no matter how desperately Ashley struggled to get the connection back, it was gone.

"Andros," she whispered, tears leaking out of her eyes. "Please don't be dead. I need you so much."

Then she shot up in bed as his last words registered. _Teleportation override._

"Deca!" she shouted as she leapt up, adrenaline flowing through her. "Rewrite the teleportation override code."

"Rewriting," Deca acknowledged as Ashley sprinted down the hall, heading for the bridge.

"Zhane!" she shouted. "Karone!"

A ringing laugh echoed through the halls, a laugh that she knew well. It had been years since she'd heard it, but it hadn't changed. It was still cruel and vindictive, and Ashley froze as it filled her ears.

She started running again, but it was too late.

"I see you remember me," a voice growled, grabbing her from behind. Ashley struggled hard, but this enemy had been almost impossible to beat as a fully functioning ranger.

"How many times do we have to kill you?" she gasped, managing to break free. She only made it a few steps forward before she was recaptured.

"Zhane!" Ashley shrieked. "Karone!"

"Don't fight me, Yellow Ranger. I'm taking you to the Red Ranger."

"You took Andros?" Ashley said, twisting to face her captor. "How is he still alive?"

"My master-" This was spat bitterly, "-has learned that patience reaps sweeter revenge."

Ashley managed to repress a shudder. Andros had had many enemies, but none had wanted his death more than this one, and had would have glady killed his compatriots for it.

"Time to go, Yellow Ranger."


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Not mine

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Yeah, it's all Ashley's fault for being to depressed to realize what Andros was saying. :P See, I can be mean to Ashley. Yay, you updated! Finally. :P And I was supposed to tell you and Jenny that Melissa's on vacation._

_**JakiBlue:** Yeah, Andros is gonna feel really guilty about this one. And the evil person teleported onto the Megaship before Deca rewrote the override. I try to update as soon as I can. Since I use these evil little cliffhangers as often as I can, it's probably a good thing. :P_

_**DizneeDol: **Here's more, relax already. :P_

_**Arwennicole: **Don't let anything bad happen to Ashley? But it's so fun... I didn't do anything too bad. :P_

_**Jenny:** Don't worry, you can take as much time as you want on the standalone. And my computer won't bring up AH/AY's site all the time, either. Supid AOL... I kinda remember you saying you'd like to see what would happen if Ashley was pregnant. The Psychos will find out later, and that won't be good. :P_

_**SpookyandLumpy:** Thanks, and here's some more. :P_

_**Melissa:** It's okay, don't worry about it. Have fun on your trip. :P_

Chapter 8

**Far, far way **

Ashley was hauled down a bright white hallway by her captor, who now wore a long hooded cloak concealing what served as her face. As she passed through the many twists and turns of what she assumed was now her prison, Ashley was struck with the eerie sense that she knew where she was going. Andros had been dragged down this corridor several times. When they stopped in front of a door, Ashley shuddered, knowing what lay on the other side of it.

The door opened, and Ashley was shoved in roughly. Another cloaked figure glided past her out of the room, acknowledging Ashley's captor with a snarl. Ashley wasn't paying attention to them; she knew who they both were, and looking for a way out of the labratory of a mad scientist seemed like a priority. She saw none.

"Don't move," Ashley was ordered. Her arms were held behind her back in a painfully tight grasp. Ashley didn't bother struggling. It wouldn't do any good, and she was going to have to save her strength.

The cloaked figure returned, pausing in the doorway to sneer at her.

"Well, Yellow Ranger, it seems like you won't be rescuing anyone."

Ashley glared at him. She opened her mouth to retort, but anything she might have said was strangled in her throat when she caught sight of the limp form lying behind him.

"Andros!" she shrieked, desperately trying to wrench herself free. Trying to ignore the thought that no one could look like he did and still be alive, Ashley managed to tear her arms away from her captor, going straight to Andros, completely ignoring the other figure standing directly above her. "Andros, please don't be dead."

He was still breathing, and Ashley sighed with relief at that. His face was terrifyingly pale, except for his right cheek and half his forehead, which had become a giant reddish-purple bruise. A thin ring encircled his head, and underneath, Ashley could see that the skin was rubbed raw and bleeding. His hair was filthy and matted with blood, most of it looking quite new. His clothes were torn and bloodstained as well, some of the blood seemingly still wet.

"Andros, please wake up," she whispered, leaning over him and shaking his shoulder as gently as she could. "Please, Andros, I just need you to wake up."

She shook him again, and could have sworn that she heard him moan, but she was afraid to believe that he had woken up so easily. In the state he was in, she wouldn't have truly believed that he would wake up at all.

"Andros?" she questioned softly, and this time she was definately sure that she saw his eyelids flicker for a moment. "Andros, come on, I know you're awake. Andros..."

His eyes opened slowly, and Ashley burst into tears. Cradling his upper body in her arrms, she held him close, her face hidden in his neck.

"A...Ash?" His voice was hoarse, and very faint, but she knew that she'd heard it. Sobbing harder, she pulled back to look him in the eye. He smiled at her, or tried to, and slowly raised one hand to touch her face.

"Very touching, but I did bring you here for a purpose other than this, Yellow Ranger."

Andros stiffened as he recognized the voice, and Ashley tightened her grip on him, glaring fiercely at the frail-looking old man who had just entered the room.

"Run away," he whispered urgently. "Ash, please..." His eyes were begging her just as much as his voice was, and when Ashley shook her head firmly, she thought he might cry.

"On your feet," she was ordered by the one who had captured her. Slowly, Ashley set Andros back down on the floor, flooded with fear. She knew she could take anything that they did to her, but thoughts of what they might do to her child nearly paralyzed her.

"Why don't you just show yourselves?" she demanded, sounding much braver than she actually felt. "I know who you are."

"An unkown enemy is feared more than a known one," the old man said, appearing by her side and circling her slowly. Ashley fought back the urge to turn along with him, not liking the idea of leaving her back unguarded.

"But if I know who they are, then they are a known enemy," Ashley pointed out, forcing herself to sound calm. _Shut up,_ she told herself, but talking seemed the only way to delay whatever came next.

"True," he mused thoughtfully. He turned two the two guards and shrugged. "Reveal yourselves."

Knowing who they were did nothing to take away the chill Ashley felt when she saw the red and yellow Psycho rangers standing side by side. One quick glance at Andros' face told her that he'd figured it out as well. His eyes were narrowed, but Ashley wasn't sure if that was because of anger, or because he couldn't keep them open otherwise.

"A perfect choice, Arcanus." The old man sneered with pride as a disembodied voice floated through the air, and Ashley shivered. "Just make sure to kill her first."

"Of course, Master," Arcanus agreed, laughing to himself.

Ashley cast a frightened glance towards Andros, and was shocked to see tears that had gathered in his eyes. Seeing him so scared frightened her even more, and she forced herself to look away, just barely stopping herself from holding her stomach protectively.

"You," Arcanus ordered the two Psychos. "Tie her down. I need to run the preliminary test."

Andros closed his eyes at those words, knowing that he wouldn't be able to bear watching Ashley's torture. He gave the ring around his head a desperate tug. He'd seen how terrified her expression had been, and he wanted to reassure her in some way.

When Ashley started to scream, Andros couldn't keep back his tears any longer, and he started crying silently, hating himself more than he could ever remember. If it wasn't for him, Ashley wouldn't even be here right now. He should have been more alert when he'd heard someone approaching him from behind that night months ago. He should have made them kill him at the beginning. He should have...

Ashley's screams died away, and he cautiously opened one eye. The Psychos undid the restraints that held her down, hauling her forward off of the cot. Her face was deliberately devoid of any and all emotion, but she couldn't quite manage to hide the pain that was in her eyes.

"Ash," Andros whispered.

"Can't we just kill them now?" Psycho Yellow whined. "Why bother waiting when we could have all the fun now?"

"Who's idea was it to revive Ecliptor, anyway?" Psycho Red asked. "He was always in everyone's way, and he never trusted us to begin with."

"Silence!" roared the phantom voice, loudly enough to make Andros and Ashley flinch. "You act on my orders, and you'd best remember that. Now, take them away."

Psycho Yellow grasped Ashley from behind while Psycho Red went to retrieve Andros from where he lay on the floor, not having moved from the spot where he'd been while the Psychos had tried to beat the override codes out of him. Psycho Red pulled Andros to his feet by the neck of his shirt, causing him to start choking when his body pitched forward. Arcanus said something, and with a disappointed sigh, Psycho Red held him from behind the way Psycho Yellow was handling Ashley.

The Psychos dragged them down the sickeningly bright hall to Andros' small cell and threw them in roughly. Ashley stumbled as she was released, catching herself with her hands, but Andros didn't move after Psycho Red dropped him and kicked him inside.

"Whichever one of you disobeys will watch the other die," he snarled ominously as he slammed the door shut, leaving them in complete and utter darkness.

"Andros," Ashley cried, crawling over to his side. "Andros, talk to me."

"Ash," he said weakly. "I... you... how did they get you?"

"Psycho Yellow came to the Megaship," Ashley told him gently, taking his hand.

"I tried not to give it to them," Andros whispered, his eyes filling with tears again. "I tried, Ash, but they read my mind, and I couldn't stop them. I'm so sorry, Ash."

"I know," Ashley assured him, laying down beside him and pulling him into her arms. "Don't worry, Andros, we'll get out of here."

_I hope,_ she added silently.

"Ash, I love you so much," Andros whispered, forcing himself to move, and he wrapped his arms around her as best he could.

"I love you, Andros," Ashley whispered back.

"Ash, get this thing off of me," Andros begged her, one arms tearing at the ring again. "Please, get it off."

"I'll try," Ashley promised, gently lifting his head off the floor. "How?"

"I don't know," Andros said desperately, and Ashley heard in his voice the tears that he was struggling not to shed. "I think there's a catch in the back."

Ashley rested one hand on the back of his neck, supporting his head, as she felt along the rim of the ring with the other. She found a small lock, and fiddled with it for several minutes, growing frustrated with her inability to see what she was doing. She was tempted to just give up, but she didn't want to do that to Andros. After an hour of trying increasingly creative combinations of turns and twists, she heard a soft click, and the ring let go.

_"Thank you."_ Andros' mental voice filled her head, and Ashley felt tears well up in her eyes. _"I love you, Ash."_

_"I know you do,"_ Ashley assured him, gingergly touching his forehead. Andros inhaled sharply, and she winced. _"I love you too... Do you thnk they're listening to us?"_

_"Probably,"_ Andros told her. _"Why?"_

_"I need to tell you something,"_ Ashley said nervously. _"They can't read our minds from far away, can they?"_

_"I don't think so," _Andros said, reaching for her hand. _"What's wrong?"_

_"Andros, whenever they hurt you, I felt it,"_ Ashley said. _"And I-"_

_"You felt it?" _Andros repeated. _"Everything?"_

_"Whenever the ring was off, I think," _Ashley told him. _"It's not your fault."_

_"I'm sorry," _he said quietly. _"Go on."_

_"I was on Earth the first time I felt it,"_ Ashley continued, _"and I fainted. I woke up in the hospital, and I... I found out that..."_

_"Ash, what's wrong?" _Andros asked her.

_"Andros, I'm pregnant."_

_"You're what?"_ Andros sounded stunned, and if she could see his face, Ashley knew that he'd be staring at her. _"We're going to have a baby?"_

_"We're going to have a baby."_ Ashley took one of his hands and placed it on her stomach, letting him feel her abdomen. It wasn't visibly swollen yet, for which she was grateful, not wanting to think what the Psychos would do to her unborn child.

_"Ash, I promise you, as soon as we get out of here, I'm going to marry you."_ Andros felt tears slowly make their way down his face as he felt Ashley's stomach. He couldn't let Ashley die. He couldn't let his child die.

_"Don't you dare get yourself killed."_ Ashley's tone was sharp, and he realized that she'd heard his last thoughts as well._ "I need you too much, Andros. This baby needs you."_

_"I won't,"_ Andros promised her. _"Not if I can help it. I never want to be away from you again."_

He stifled a moan as his head began throbbing in pain. It was costing him too much to keep talking, Ashley realized, and she lay down beside him again, wrapping her arms around him.

_"Rest," _she told him firmly. _"We'll get out of here, I promise, but we can't escape with you like this... and don't even think about trying to get me to leave without you."_

She added the last bit hastily before the thought had fully formed in his mind, and Andros abandoned the thought reluctantly. He closed his eyes, the darkness descending over his mind with frightening speed.

Once he was asleep, or unconscious, Ashley couldn't quite tell which, she slipped her comminicator off of her wrist and put it in her pocket. It had been a miracle that they hadn't taken it from her, but her sleeves had been long enough to cover it. Zhane and Karone could track the signal. Once they realized she was missing, that is.

_Hurry up, you guys,_ Ashley urged them, wishing she could speak to them as easily as she could to Andros. _Find us before one of us is dead. _


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Not mine

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** I'm much happier with your update. :P_

_**DizneeDol:** Thanks, here's more. :P_

_**Jenny:** You want my Demon brother to be the bridesmaid? I LOVE YOU! I don't wanna be the flower girl... Oh well, Demon has to wear a dress. :P_

_**the-power-of-love:** Thanks, here's more. :P_

_**Arwennicole:** Relax, the one thing I won't do is kill them. Yet. Well, I won't kill the one and make the other one live, but that's not this story. :P_

_**JakiBlue:** Yeah, the last version had some problems. You find out later where they are, but this story isn't like Unsealed Fate, so don't worry. :P_

_**GreenDayfan1:** Okay, I'll go back to almost killing them. :P_

Chapter 9

**The Megaship**

"I am picking up the signal," Deca announced.

Zhane and Karone looked at each other in relief.

"If she's hurt, Andros will never forgive me," Zhane muttered. "She'd better still be alive, and that baby, too."

"They're okay," Karone assured him, laying a hand on his arm. "Ashley's not helpless."

"Not under usual circumstances," Zhane pointed out, and Karone frowned.

"Do you think it's gotten that far yet?"

"Karone, I don't think she'd put her child in danger. Especially if she thinks she'll never see Andros again. If the baby's all she's got left of him, she'll do whatever she has to do to keep herself alive."

"Deca," Karone said anxiously. "Hurry up, will you?"

"Do you feel that?" Zhane asked, tapping his head, frowning. "It's... Andros?"

"He's not listening to us," Karone said a moment later, after a dozen fruitless attempts to get through to her brother. "Or he's too weak to hear us."

"Don't think like that," Zhane ordered. "You got your morpher?"

Karone held up her left wrist. "Got it."

"Deca, how much longer?"

**Elsewhere**

When Andros opened his eyes again, the first thing that he was conscious of was that he was alone again. Ashley was gone from his arms, and he closed his eyes as they filled with tears of dread at what was being done to her.

No matter what he'd promised Ashley however many hours ago, there was no way that he was about to let the Psycho rangers, Arcanus, or the body that belonged to the phantom voice take the lives of the woman that he loved and his unborn child without taking his first.

Granted, he had no idea how he could protect her when she was currently in better fighting shape than he was, but Andros was not just going to lie there helplessly while he watched Ashley and the child she was carrying tortured to death.

"Just make sure to kill her first," Arcanus had been ordered by the disembodied voice that had floated throughout the room. The vindictiveness of that voice made Andros sick to his stomach with fear, to the point that if he had been able to move painlessly, his terror would have prevented it and left him paralyzed.

_"Ash?"_ he called telepathically. _"Where are you? What are they doing?"_

_"I'm in that same room from yesterday,"_ came Ashley's reply, made terse by fear. _"He wants to run another test on me."_

Andros closed his eyes. _"I'm sorry, Ash."_

_"Andros, you don't think the baby can feel it, do you?"_

_"I'm sure that the baby doesn't feel it, Ash."_ Andros had no idea whether or not this was true, but he could tell from her voice that Ashley was petrified with terror and guilt. _"Don't worry about the baby, Ash, worry about yourself."_

_"Andros,"_ came Ashley's terrified whimper, just before Andros felt his mind exploding in pain. This time, he felt it as well, and in some odd way, it made him hurt less. When he'd learned that Ashley had felt everything that had been done to him, the guilt had nearly killed him, and somehow, feeling what they were doing to her slowly chipped away at the guilt.

He curled up when the sensation faded away, shaking, and his throat aching from screaming. This was different than feeling it first-hand. It was no less painful, but somehow less intense, and the pain vanished instantly, leaving only a feeling that there should be pain where there was none.

_"Ash?"_ he asked softly, reaching out for her.

_"I'm okay, I think,"_ he heard her reply hesitantly. _"It just hurts so much... Andros, there's something wrong."_

_"What happened?"_ Andros felt his heart racing, and in her fear, Ashley nearly broke the connection that he was struggling to maintain.

_"Arcanus and the Psychos... he's talking to them. He's found something that he doesn't like. Andros, I think... I think he knows... Psycho Red, he's coming to get you."_

_"Ash, calm down,"_ Andros ordered her, hearing her panicking. _"You have to pretend that you have no idea what's going on, all right? If they don't know about the baby, you can't let them know."_

_"I'm trying,"_ Ashley whispered. _"I can't hear them talking anymore. Andros..."_

Andros curled up as the door opened, doing his best to look like he'd simply been recovering from the aftershock of Ashley's torture. Psycho Red seized him and hauled him to his feet, stalking away before Andros even had the chance to attempt to find his footing. He stumbled, and was dragged down the hall to the room where he half expected to find Ashley lying dead on the cold floor.

Instead, he saw her sitting on the cot, unrestrained, although her arms were held down by Psycho Yellow and Arcanus, who was laughing gleefully. Ashley had on a brave face, but Andros could practically feel her pulse racing.

"Well, Red Ranger," Arcanus laughed. "This seems to be a most interesting turn of events now, doesn't it?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Andros snapped.

"Is that so?" Arcanus sneered. "So if I were to tell you that the yellow ranger was carrying your child, the news would shock you?"

Andros swallowed, and did his best to look confused. "She's not pregnant. She can't be pregnant."

"Don't lie to me, Red Ranger," Arcanus snapped. "It will only go worse for her."

He paused to give his words time to take hold in Andros' mind, who was suddenly visualizing slow, agonizing deaths for both Ashley and their baby.

"I have adjusted the testing process for her, but it is nowhere close to where it should be," Arcanus explained. "That leaves only one explanation. There is another life inside of her."

"How fitting," came the floating voice again. "You took my child, Red Ranger, and now I will take yours."

"Ecliptor had a father?" Andros burst out. "I thought he was created by Dark Specter."

"He was my son, and you killed him!"

The voice suddenly gained a body to go with it, as an armored figure that strongly resembled Ecliptor appeared in the center of the room. Andros felt his breath catch in his throat as the figure ignored him completely and turned to Ashley.

"She is most certainly carrying the red ranger's child." He glanced at Arcanus. "Do it now."

"Certainly, Master." The old man, anything but frail bowed out of the room, carrying the sword that Andros recognized as Ecliptor's, and a small, clear vial containing a single grain of sand.

"Well, Red Ranger, this is ironic, isn't is?" Ecliptor's father laughed sadistically.

"Who are you?" Andros demanded, stalling desperately.

"My name is Sol, but that does not matter."

Arcanus placed the sword and the vial on a small table, and attatched one electrode to each of them. Sol held up a hand, and approached the cot where Ashley sat, her arms pressed to her stomach.

"I will let your child live if you agree to one small request. I keep your child."

"I'd kill my child myself before I handed it to you!" Ashley spat. In one swift motion, Sol backhanded her across the face, and Ashley fell back across the cot. Andros could only watch in helpless dread as the straps were fastened across Ashley's body. Then it hit him: in place of him, they were using his child. They were going to keep him alive, until he begged them to kill him, and they never would.

"Then you will both die," Sol snapped.

_"Andros, I'm so sorry," _Ashley cried. _"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to kill the baby. I just can't let him take our child."_

Her voice snapped Andros into motion, and he tore himself free of Psycho Red's grasp, the adrenaline coursing through him the only thing keeping him on his feet. Instead of going straight for Ashley, as they had expected him to do, Andros headed for the table that held Ecliptor's sword, pulling it into his hand telekinetically. His movement being misread was the only thing that saved him, and the split second that it took for his enemies to correct their path towards him was all the time he needed to slice through the straps.

The sword fell from his hand and clattered to the floor as the Psychos and Sol closed in on him. Andros had no strength to fight, and it was only by a mixture of will and fear that he didn't collapse when he was kicked.

_"Ashley, run!"_ he shouted at her, knowing that she wouldn't, but hoping that something in her would force her to.

_"Do you really think I'd leave you?"_ Ashley retorted, and suddenly, Psycho Red fell against Psycho Yellow as Ashley swung the sword with all the strength in her. A moment later, the yellow ranger was standing where Ashley had been a second before.

_"Why didn't you tell me you had your morpher?"_ Andros asked her weakly, as she seized him by the arm and pulled him away from the Psychos, her arm wrapped around his waist to support him, her other arm clutching a blaster that she was firing blindly over her shoulder.

Ashley practically threw him out of the room, and continued firing at the Psychos and Sol, who advanced on them nonetheless. Andros spotted the door lock, and slammed the button telekinetically. Ashley stumbled back, her arm back around his waist as they made their way down the hall as fast as they could go.

_"How long will that door hold?" _

_"Not very long,"_ Andros answered. The sound of wood splintering and metal creaking made Ashley start walking faster, nearly pulling Andros off of his feet.

_"Is there a way out of here?"_ Ashley asked him calmly, and Andros envied the effect the Power had had on her. Wishing he could morph wouldn't get him out of here any faster, however, and he tried to concentrate on what Ashley was saying.

_"I don't know,"_ he said. _"I never got very far."_

_"Let's try this way,"_ Ashley said, pulling him down a hallway he'd never been down before. Or had he? They all looked alike, and Andros had a sickening feeling that this was all one giant maze, designed to keep him in.

_"Ash, this isn't working,"_ he said, frustrated, a minute or two later, his ears tricking him repeatedly into believing that he heard the Psychos crashing through the door. _"I don't think we'll find a door in time."_

_"Do you think this is an outer wall?" _

_"What?"_

_"Do you think this is an outer wall?"_ Ashley repeated, and Andros shook his head.

_"I don't know."_

_"It better be," _Ashley said, taking her blaster and firing several times at the wall. It took a dozen shots, but finally a hole appeared, and she looked through it. _"Not it."_

She turned and did the same to the surrounding walls, and found nothing. Sighing heavily, she headed for the next corridor, dragging Andros with her, painfully aware that she was draining any energy he had left in him.

_"I've found one!"_ she cried.

_"Hurry, Ash,"_ Andros said, staring down the hall as she fired repeatedly, switching to the laser setting, hoping to burn through the wall faster than she could shoot through it. _"I keep thinking I hear them."_

_"I'm going as fast as I can,"_ Ashley assured him, and the arm that Andros had around her neck tightened for an instant before he let her concentrate on what she was doing. Five minutes later, there was a hole large enough for them to climb through if they went either feetfirst headfirst.

_"How far is it to the ground?" _Andros asked her.

_"There is no ground,"_ Ashley said dimly. _"There's a fifty foot drop into the ocean." _

_"Who's first?"_

Ashley hesitated. Did she want to be the first to jump to her death? No, not particularly, but she had a feeling that Andros might not stay afloat without her help. _"I'll go."_

_"Be careful," _Andros pleaded as she lowered herself through the hole. Ashley closed her eyes as she let go, not wanting to see the dark waters swallow her up. The water was cold, even through her suit, and must have been extremely salty, as she was more bouyant than usual. _"Ashley, swim!"_

_"Andros, what's wrong?"_ she demanded, knowing that he had been found.

_"Psycho Red,"_ Andros replied. _"Go, before they start shooting at you."_

Ashley hesitated before she started swimming again, but towards the building, instead of away from it. They wouldn't be able to see her unless they looked straight down, and she hoped that they wouldn't look straight down. She resisted the urge to say something to Andros, knowing that he'd have his hands full trying to fend off the Psychos and Sol singlehandedly, especially in the state he was in.

Who was she kidding? It was impossible._ Why did I ihave to jump first?_

Ashley bit back a scream as she suddenly saw Andros' body flying through the air, heading down at a much too unnatural angle for him to have jumped.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Not mine

_**NinjaStorm4Life:** This is next. :P_

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow: **Nope, not dead. My parents think I'm addicted to games. :P I'm updating, and now I'll go review all your chapters._

_**Jenny:** Hey, you and Demon have something in common! He was dropped on his head as a baby, too. :P This part's a little different than the in the last one. I promise, I won't rewrite this story again, so tell Subconscious to shut up. It's okay if you're obsessed with weddings. Weddings are fun. I sent you a summary yesterday. And yes, I went to your website. AOL kicks me off whenever I click on the Guestbook. I think it's trying to tell me something. :P_

_**DizneeDol:** Here's more. Sorry it took me so long to update. I couldn't get online. But here's some more. :P_

_**the-power-of-love:** Thanks, here's more._

_**Arwennicole:** Yeah, it gets kind of intense here. Thanks, here's more. :P_

Chapter 10

Andros closed his eyes as the water moved up to swallow him, not sure that he was going to survive the fall. He'd thrown himself sideways out of the small hole Ashley had made just as Psycho Red had begun firing his blaster. The laser fire had burned his left shoulder badly, as well as the rest of the arm. His right side had gone first, and had therefore taken little damage from the lasers, although there was a long scraped running across the right side of his ribs from the jagged edge of the wall.

He inhaled sharply just before he crashed into the waves, emerging a moment later, sputtering. The salt water was burning his wounds, and he could almost feel the burn on his shoulder pulsating.

_"Ash?" _he called. _"Where are you?"_

He jumped as he felt something brush against his arm, until he realized that Ashley's gloved hand was searching for his. She was underwater, breathing the air contained in her helmet, but there was only so much time before the water slowly started leaking in. Andros ducked his head as close to the surface of the water, and they set off.

Their only advantage was the darkness of night. Soon, the cliff that the prison-like establishment had been hidden in was out of sight, although only a hundred yards away. Ashley surfaced again, her suit gone. The Power would have kept her endurance going longer, but bright yellow stood out against the darkness.

"Are you all right?" she asked him as they paused to rest, treading water. "When I saw you fall, I thought..."

"I'm fine," Andros said through grit teeth, glad he couldn't see his left arm. He could feel it, though, and it hurt like hell.

"No, you're not," Ashley insisted. "You're in pain."

"I'm not really feeling it yet," Andros lied. "The adrenaline hasn't worn off yet."

"Do you think they'll follow us?" Ashley asked fearfully, listening to the waves crashing around them, trying to pick up anything that might signal their pursuers.

"Not the Psychos," Andros assured her, knowing that one arm was pressed to her stomach. "They can't swim without electrocuting themselves. Sol might try, but I think Arcanus is too old."

"Do you know how far we've come?" Ashley asked suddenly. Andros shook his head.

"Why?"

"The waves go towards the shore," Ashley said. "If we're far enough away from that cliff, we'd end up on a different shore."

"I think we're still too close," Andros said. "I don't think we've come that far."

"We can't have been going that slow." Ashley sounded frustrated, and Andros sighed.

"Ash, you can go on ahead of me," he told her. "I'll be all right."

Ashley glared at him. "Do you **really** think I spent the last three months searching for you just so I could abandon you in the middle of the ocean?"

Andros grinned sheepishly at her, finding it odd that he could be happy right now. "If I said yes, would you go?"

He was suddenly pushed underwater as Ashley threw her arms around his neck, squeezing him so hard he thought he might suffocate. "I'm never leaving you," she whispered fiercely in his ear. "Never."

"I'll never want you to," Andros whispered back, letting her hold him for a minute longer before saying, "Ash, I think we're sinking."

"Wha... Oh, sorry." Ashley let go of him, and Andros' head came up out of the water.

They started to swim again, heading in the straightest line they could manage. Despite what he'd said earlier, Andros was most certainly not fine, and Ashley slipped her arm under his shoulders, helping him stay afloat.

"Do you see that?" Ashley asked awhile later, extending her arm out in front of her. "Is that land?"

"I don't see... yes?" Andros squinted, but he wasn't sure if there was actually land up ahead, or if he'd just gotten too much salt in his eyes.

"Just relax," Ashley said, and Andros inhaled sharply when she touched his burned arm. "Let the water pull us there."

He nodded sliently, but did **not** relax until he felt semi-solid ground appearing under his feet. Ashley stumbled, and he caught her with his good arm, only to be dragged down with her as she tripped. They ended up sitting on the ocean floor, held under by a surprisingly strong force, even though they were only feet from shore.

Ashley emerged, sputtering and retching ocean water, feeling sick to her stomach. When she looked to her left, she saw that Andros was doing the same, and they slowly staggered out of the water. Andros collapsed the instant he was out of the water, nearly falling asleep right there in the sand. Ashley was tempted to let him stay there, but sighed heavily, knowing that they should find some sort of shelter.

"Andros," she pleaded. "Come on, get up."

"I can't go any further, Ash," Andros muttered, his eyes closed. "I'm too tired."

"Andros, it's just a little farther, I promise," she said, tugging on the arm that was, fortunately, uninjured. Reluctantly, Andros let her pull him to his feet, stumbling the instant he tried to walk. She heard him hiss in pain, but he said nothing, draping his arm around her for support again.

They moved slowly, Ashley feeling guiltier by the second as she dragged Andros along, hearing him inhale sharply every time he was forced to put weight on his left leg. She was about to let him sit down again when she saw that the shoreline curved. There was cliff to their right now, and the curve was away from them, so she shouln't have been able to see what was on the other side, but somehow, Ashley could.

In her mind, she saw the caves that had been one of her favorite spots growing up. She saw herself coming often with her family, and she groaned with frustration and self-disgust.

"We're in Angel Grove," she said, stopping abruptly, causing Andros to trip over his feet. He landed on his left leg and cried out in pain. Ashley winced and tightened the arm that was around his waist. "We're in Angel Grove."

"We're what?"

Ashley burst into tears, her tangled wet hair falling forward over her face. "We're in Angel Grove, Andros. I was here a week ago! I was here **looking** for you right after you disappeared! How did I not find you?"

"Ash, don't cry," Andros whispered, pulling her into a one-armed hug. "Please don't cry."

"You were so close the whole time," Ashley muttered. "We practically destroyed the galaxy trying to find you, and you were here the whole time."

"It's all right, Ash," Andros murmured. "You found me in the end."

"No I didn't," Ashley wailed. "Psycho Yellow came and brought me there. I must be the worst -"

"Ash," Andros whispered. "Thank you for saving me."

Ashley stared at him, tears still coming down her cheeks. "You're not upset I didn't find you?"

"Ash, if it wasn't for you, I'd be dead right now," Andros reminded her softly, touching her cheek. Ashley buried her face in his shoulder, and for a minute, he wasn't sure who was supporting who. "Ash, can I sit down now?"

"I'm so sorry!" Ashley blurted out. "There's some caves right over here. We'll be safe there."

Guiltily, she helped him to the caves, setting him down gently when they'd gone as deep as they could. Andros sank down onto the sand wearily, and Ashley fell down next to him.

"Let me look at your leg," she said. Andros protested, but Ashley insisted, and Andros found himself obeying. He closed his eyes, hoping to fall asleep, but when he heard Ashley gasp in horror, he had a feeling that she wasn't going to let him.

He opened his eyes and winced when he saw his leg. Even in the darkness, he could see the significant contrast in the color of the burned skin and his normal skin. Psycho Red's shot had burned straight through what had once been the boots of his Megaship flight suit, and the metal and leather had been melted away.

"It might have fused to your skin," Ashley warned him, touching the area gingerly.

"How bad did he get my shoulder?" Andros asked her. He was barely feeling his leg at the moment, and it was his left arm that was making him want to cry with pain.

He flinched when Ashley reached towards his shoulder, whimpering softly when her fingers touched him.

"I'm sorry," Ashley whispered, drawing her hand back quickly. "I don't know what I was thinking."

"It's all right," Andros muttered, his eyes refusing to stay open any longer. "Ash, can I sleep now?"

Ashley hesitated. "Yeah," she said. "I'll wake you up if I hear anything."

In their wet clothes, the cool night breeze felt like and icy wind, and Andros and Ashley found themselves huddled together in an effort to stay warm. Ashley sighed and sat back, watching Andros when something occured to her.

"Hey," she whispered, shaking him slightly. "Wake up for a minute."

Andros opened one eye. His head was resting in her lap, and he looked up at her questioningly.

"Can you reach Zhane or Karone?" she asked.

Andros closed his eyes, feeling for their presence, and he felt it, but much more dimly than he was feeling Ashley's.

_"Zhane?"_ he called. _"Karone?"_

_"Andros?"_

He heard them both at once, and sighed with relief.

_"It's me," _he said weakly. _"Ashley's with me. We're in Angel Grove."_

_"You're what?"_

Zhane and Karone reacted to the news as Ashley did.

_"We're coming, man,"_ Zhane assured him. _"Hang on."_

"They hearrd me," Andros mumbled sleepily to Ashley, who touching his face gently.

"You can rest now," she said. "Don't worry, you'll be back on the Megaship soon."

Andros nodded his head drowsiliy, muttering, "I love you, Ash."

'I love you too," Ashley whispered.

Outside, the skies suddenly broke loose, spilling forth gallons of water that hadn't been there moments before. Ashley shivered as the temperature dropped even further, and took Andros' hand, more for her comfort than his, wondering if they were being watched.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Not mine

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Do you really think I'd kill them? No, don't answer that question. :P Duct tape solves everythng. You could tape his ears shut so he wouldn't be able to hear the music. Or you could duct tape down the volume changer dial thingy. Have you tried duct tape:P_

_**Arwennicole:** Everything will turn out okay, more or less. You'll see about Ashley's parents later. :P_

_**Jenny:** Sorry, the o looks like the 0 when I'm tired. :P And no, I'm not going to rewrite this again. I've got other stories that are sick and twisted and fun, so I'll go write those. And Ashley didn't drown. Yet. You think the smilies at the end look freaky? Okay, you don't get one then._

_**the-power-of-love:** Thanks, sorry it took me so long, but here's more. :P_

_**DizneeDol:** I hate not getting online too. Here's some more, sorry for the long wait. :P_

_**Melissa:** It's okay, I couldn't get online for so long it doesn't matter. :P_

_**Sreym:** Thanks. I love torturing Andros and Ashley. Sorry it took me so long, but there's more torture in here, sort of. :P_

Chapter 11

Ashley jumped every time she heard a thunderclap, imagining the Psychos storming their shelter, blasters firing. She shuddered every time she saw the flash of lighting, thinking that she could see them coming for her and Andros and their baby.

Andros was still asleep, his head pillowed on her lap, and she clung to his right hand with both of hers, finding some comfort there, but not much. She wished he'd wake up, but couldn't bring herself to wake him just because she was scared. With one hand, she touched his face gently, growing more and more uneasy as she felt how cold he was.

Ashley sighed. It was just cold out, she told herself. Andros hadn't died. He was just cold.

"Andros," she whispered, rubbing his right hand between both of hers, trying to warm him up. She didn't touch his left hand, seeing the painful burns that covered it.

He stirred slightly, and Ashley dropped his hand guiltily. "Ash?"

"Go back to sleep," she told him. "I'm sorry I woke you up."

"You didn't," Andros told her, reaching for her hand again. Ashley sighed with relief as she felt his fingers curling around hers, and she relaxed a little. "How long have I been asleep?"

"I don't know," Ashley said. It had felt like an eternity. "A few hours, I guess. Zhane and Karone should be here soon."

"Soon," Andros repeated, almost letting himself believe it. "Ash, you're hurting me."

"Sorry," Ashley exclaimed, loosening her grip on his hand, wincing as she felt the deep crescent shaped grooves her fingernails had made. "I'm so sorry, Andros."

"Ash, it's all right," Andros said, squeezing her hand. "It doesn't hurt that much."

"But you've been hurt enough," Ashley said quietly. Andros glanced up at her, not surprised when he saw the tears glittering in her eyes.

"Ash," he whispered, trying to sit up. Ashley shook her head, and gently pushed him back down.

"I'll be all right," she choked out. "I...I just... everyday that you were gone, I was wondering if I'd ever see you again, and when I felt what they were doing, I was so scared that by the time I found you, you'd be dead."

Ashley blinked furiously, trying to stem the flow of tears. She had to keep herself together. They weren't safe yet, and she wouldn't be doing Andros any favors by breaking down.

"It's all right, Ash," Andros said, kissing her fingers gently. He closed his eyes again, the constant flash of the lightning making his head spin. "I'll be okay. We'll all be okay."

"I know," Ashley whispered. "I'm just scared."

Now more than ever, Andros wished that he had the strength to sit up and hold her in his arms. Ashley was never scared; Ashley never lost hope. He knew that she was trying to figure out how to protect both him and their child, and he cursed himself yet again for not hearing the bounty hunters coming up behind him. If he'd just been a little more alert, none of this would have happened.

Ashley's nails suddenly dug into his hand again, and his eyes flew open. He already knew what he was going to see, but it didn't make seeing it much easier. Standing in the mouth of the cave was Sol, and he was flanked on each side by a Psycho Ranger.

"You killed Arcanus with one of your shots, Yellow Ranger," he said calmly. "He was the only one capable of bringing back my son."

The Psychos were in front of them in a flash, tossing Andros carelessly aside as they hauled Ashley to her feet. She struggled as Sol approached, but couldn't quite pull herself free.

"You took my child, Red Ranger," Sol said. "Now I take yours, and the mother as well."

Andros struggled to stand, bracing himself against the cave wall. "Kill me," he begged, staggering a few steps forward. "Not her."

Sol gave a vindictive laugh. The Psychos held Ashley's arms, and she had nothing else with which to protect her stomach. Her mouth opened in a scream when Sol drove his fist into her abdomen, but no sound came out; the wind had been knocked out of her.

Psycho Red appeared at Andros' side as Sol stepped behind Ashley, holding him fast as he struggled in vain to free himself. Sol laughed again, his hands closing over Ashley's throat, making sure that Andros could see her face clearly. Ashley hadn't had time to recover from Sol's attack, and there was no air in her lungs.

"Ashley," Andros shouted, feeling his lungs burning as Ashley's must have been. _"Ash!"_

_"I'm sorry, Andros."_

Ashley's face had gone from white to red, and was now turning purple much too quickly for her to survive much longer. Andros wanted to close his eyes, wanted to look away, but he couldn't bring himself to.

"She won't last much longer, Red Ranger," Sol said triumphantly. "I've had my revenge."

"No," Andros shouted furiously, tears streaming down his face. "Please, don't do this to her."

Sol suddenly released Ashley, and shoved her to the ground with such speed that Andros almost didn't see it happen. He stared fearfully at Ashley, willing her to breathe.

_"Ash?"_

_"Andros,"_ he heard Ashley say faintly.

His relief was short lived, as Sol stepped up to Andros, a cruel grin splitting his face. "I've thought of a better revenge, Red Ranger."

Andros remained silent, feeling his heart pounding with fear. Sol laughed softly, the sound clawing its way to the depths of Andros' soul, latching itself onto something there. Andros stared at Sol, his heart racing. Whatever came next would be far worse than anything he'd gone through so far.

"Kill her."

The words came not from Sol's mouth, but from his mind, but the sound filled the cave nonetheless, and to his horror, Andros found himself falling to the ground beside Ashley.

"Andros?" she asked weakly. "What-"

Her words ended in a strangled gasp as Andros felt himself grab her around the neck. Andros saw her eyes widen in terror as his hands slowly crushed her windpipe. Her hands fastened themselves around his wrists as she tried to fight him off, but she was already weakened. Fortunately, he was as well, and it would take him much longer to kill her, giving her some time.

_"Do something,"_ Andros begged her silently. _"Ash, kill me if you have to. Don't let me kill you. Don't let me kill out baby."_

Ashley's hands slipped off his wrists. Dimly, Andros realized that they would never kill him now. They would keep him alive, forcing him to live with himself, and the knowledge of what he had done to the woman that he loved and his unborn child.

_"Ash?"_ he shouted, feeling her growing weaker and weaker. _"Ash!"_

There was no reply.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Not mine

_**Jenny:** The next 243 hours? Yay, I only took 48. :P What happened to updating three times a day? I found out how fun it is to make all of you wait. I'm evil, I know. And proud of it, too. _

_**Sreym:** I'm happy I updated too. :P Thanks._

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Evil-pregnant-Ashley-killer? But I didn't kill pregnant Ashley. Well, not in this story, and technically not in any other story, either. :P Besides, everyone thinks I'm going to kill her. It takes the fun out of it. :P_

_**the-power-of-love:** Thanks, here's some more. It's only been a few days. That's just enough time for you to wonder if I'll let Andros kill Ashley. :P_

_**Arwennicole:** Of course I won't kill Ashley. :P_

_**DizneeDol:** Here's some more. _

_**Melissa:** Thanks. And I don't care if Jenny **meant** 24 hours, she **said** 243. :P_

Chapter 12

_"Ashley!"_ Andros screamed telepathically, feeling tears spilling over his cheeks even as his hands crushed her throat. _"Ashley, please don't die. Stop me. Don't let me kill you."_

_"Fight him," _he heard her say faintly, almost inaudibly. _"Andros..."_

_"Ash, please,"_ Andros begged her. _"Don't let me kill you. Don't let me kill our baby."_

He felt Ashley's presence spark more strongly for an instant, and knew that she was trying to summon up the strength to fight him off. Andros tried to fight as well, but found that Sol's hold on him was nearly absolute.

Then suddenly, Andros realized that he was dying along with Ashley. In his panic, he hadn't felt it, but now he did. If he killed Ashley, he was killing himself along with her. As Ashley grew weaker, so did he, and it was the only reason she was still alive now. Sol might be controlling him, but there wasn't enough strength left in Andros to strangle Ashley.

As Sol realized this, Andros was freed from his control, and his body slumped forward, half-covering Ashley, who was gulping down air, her hands at her throat. Andros listened to her uneven breathing as his head spun, not sure what was happening around him.

"There are other ways for you to die," Sol said smoothly, as the Psychos hauled them both to their feet. "You **will** watch her die, Red Ranger."

"I can't," Andros said, too drained to find it odd that he should be happy about dying. "If you kill her, you kill me at the same time."

Sol stopped to think, but couldn't seem to find a way around it. In the end, he shrugged. "So be it."

**Outside**

"They've got to be around here somewhere," Karone said, her scanner nearly in her eyes. "Keep looking."

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Zhane muttered, morphed with weapon in hand. His other hand clutched his own scanner, picking up two power signatures, but unable to pinpoint them, meaning either that Andros and Ashley weren't morphed, or that the storm was interfering with the effectiveness, most likely both.

"Over here," Karone shouted suddenly. Zhane looked to where she pointed, and groaned.

"This isn't good," he warned her, staring at the dark cavern. Every time there was a flash of lightning, he could see the outline of several figures just as well as Karone could, and he had a bad feeling that he recognized too many of them.

"My creation," he heard Karone growl in a low voice. "The Psycho Rangers were mine. My mistake."

"Whoa," Zhane said, catching ahold of her arm as she started forward. "Karone, hold on."

"There's not time," Karone insisted. "I can stop them."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," Karone assured him, her hands glowing purple. "I know what I'm doing."

"Be careful," Zhane pleaded as they took off. Karone nodded wordlessly, and they crept silently towards the place where their friends were being held.

Zhane saw Ashley before he saw Andros, and from the way her eyes refused to glance in his direction, he knew that she'd seen him too, and was trying not to give them away. When he was close enough, Zhane fired several shots, managing to catch the Psychos by surprise.

They reacted instantly, dropping Andros and Ashley without a second thought as they charged at Zhane and Karone. Zhane was by no means weak, but when engaged against two Psycho Rangers, he was definately coming out the loser.

"Any time now, Karone," he muttered, dodging Psycho Yellow only to be winded by Psycho Red.

"I'm working on it," Karone shouted back to him. She was completely surrounded by purple now. "Hold on."

Any reply Zhane might have made was lost as he flew backwards through the air, landing on his back. The two Psychos advanced towards him as Zhane heard Ashley's cry of "Let's rocket!"

Several shots from her Star Slinger distracted them long enough for Zhane to scramble out of their path. He headed straight for Ashley, pulling her down and out of the way as a wave of purple shot past them. The wave solidified once it surrounded the Psychos, and contracted sharply, and then again, and once more, until the two Psychos were gone.

Zhane let out a low whistle of admiration. "Where were you when we fought them the first time?"

"Where's Andros?" Karone demanded, coming up behind them, ignoring Zhane.

Ashley gasped, and turned back to the cave. "I left him..."

They didn't wait for her to say any more, and sprinted over to where Ashley pointed. Andros was lying where he'd fallen, still conscious, his face nearly gray with a mixture of pain and exhaustion. Sol stood over him, Ecliptor's sword resting against Andros's heart.

"I will do it, rangers," he taunted. "If any of you move so much as one muscle, I will kill him."

"Andros," Ashley whispered. Her hand was on her Star Slinger, but it wasn't raised, and there was no way she would be able to get to him in time. _"Andros."_

_"It's all right, Ash,"_ came his reassuring voice. _"Don't worry about me. Just shoot him."_

_"And let him kill you?"_ Ashley retorted. _"Never."_

_"I won't die."_ Andros almost sounded confident enough for her to believe him.

_"How do I know that?"_ Ashley demanded.

_"If he kills me, he kills you,"_ Andros said simply. _"I won't let that happen."_

Ashley took a deep breath, willing herself to trust him. _"When?"_

_"Now."_

Ashley reacted as soon as Andros spoke, her movement catching Sol off-guard. He hadn't expected any of them, especially Ashley, to risk Andros's life. Before he could react, Andros brought his left arm downward, distantly feeling the blade cut through both his chest and his already injured left arm. The instant he was free of the sword, Andros rolled out of the way as Zhane began firing as well.

Karone caught Sol in another magic net, and Ashley fell to the ground beside Andros, demorphing as she did so. He tried to smile at her weakly, and wondered why she was crying so hard. Then he saw the blood on her hands and winced as he realized that it was his blood.

"It's not that bad," he mumbled dazedly, his right hand reaching up to pry her hands off of him. "Don't do that, it hurts."

"I'm sorry," Ashley whispered, swallowing her tears. "You're really okay?"

"I told you," he said. "I'd never let him kill you."

"Andros?" Karone spoke up. "What do we do with him?"

Ashley gently eased Andros into a sitting position. He saw Sol glaring at him, surrounded by Karone's purple magic. "I can't think of anything horrible enough," he heard Ashley hiss, her grip on him tightening protectively.

"It won't hold forever," Karone warned them, the net thinning even as she spoke. Sol broke free, and Ecliptor's sword was in his hand in an instant. Before any of them had a chance to react, Sol drove the sword through skin and bone.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Not mine

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** What can I say, I love torturing my readers. :P _

_**JakiBlue:** Yes and yes. :P_

_**Jenny:** I think it was longer than 6 hours. Relax, I tell you who gets driven through with a sword, instead of dragging it out even longer. :P_

_**DizneeDol:** Relax, here's more. :P_

_**Melissa:** It's only 23 hours. :P_

_**Raven2547:** Here it is. :P_

Chapter 13

Before any of them had a chance to react, Sol had driven the sword through skin and bone.

His own.

Ashley watched in stunned disbelief as he fell, shocked that he'd taken his own life in place of anyone else's. Karone had turned a sickening shade of green, her eyes glued to the blood. Zhane demorphed and thought he might be sick.

"Did that just happen?" Andros asked hoarsely. Zhane and Karone turned their heads to the sound of his voice, nodding dumbly. Without a word, Karone sent a single purple flame to engulf the body, cleaning up all traces of their struggle. As Sol's body disappeared, so did the few fragments of strength that Andros had left, and he suddenly realized how much pain he was in.

Ashley started when she heard Andros whimper softly, her heart breaking for him when she saw the tears that he was trying to hide. If Andros was crying with pain, she didn't want to know how much agony he was in.

"It's all right," she murmured, her throat sore. "We're going to get you out of here now."

"Thank you," Andros whispered, closing his eyes. Ashley draped his right arm over her shoulder and slowly helped him stand. Karone and Zhane rushed over to them, their smiles dropping into horrified expressions as they saw the condition Andros was in.

"Medical bay," Karone said firmly. "Both of you."

**The Megaship**

Ashley sat on one of the two patient beds, her legs dangling impatiently over the side as Karone, with Deca's guidence, checked and double checked to make sure that she had emerged from her ordeal more or less all right. All Ashley wanted to know was if her baby was okay. There was already a painful bruise from where Sol's fist had slammed into her abdomen, and her heart nearly stopped when she thought about what would happen if he'd hit her hard enough in just the wrong place...

"Done," Karone announced, stepping back. All of Ashey's various aches and pains vanished as Karone touched her skin, and she shot the other girl a grateful look.

"Thank you," she murmured. "Karone... the baby..."

"The baby is fine," Karone assured her, a bit of a grin on her face as she glanced down at the computer printout with Deca's results on it. She opened her mouth to say more, but didn't get the chance to.

"You know, Ash, you should get some sleep," Zhane remarked, coming into the room. "We'll stay here with him."

"I'll sleep here," Ashley said stubbornly. "I'm not leaving him."

"Ash, you're exhausted," Karone protested. "You need sleep, in a bed, not in a chair."

"I need Andros," Ashley said simply, her hand clasped around his. "I'm not leaving him."

She felt his fingers tighten on hers and glanced down, surprised to find him awake. "You can go," he said, his eyes already half-closed again. "If you want to."

"I don't," Ashley retorted. "Go back to sleep."

"I can't," Andros muttered sleepily. "I hate it here."

"Don't even think about it," Zhane said as Ashley opened her mouth. "He's staying here."

"Aw, come on," Ashley pleaded. "Let him sleep in his own bed."

After several minutes of coaxing, Zhane and Karone relented. Ashley helped Andros to his feet, steadying him as he limped. Zhane and Karone followed them to Andros's room, where they stopped.

"Thanks," Andros said softly, giving them both a hug as best he was able.

"What else are friends good for?" Zhane smirked at him. "That's twice now I've saved your life."

Karone laughed, and handed Ashley the paper she'd meant to give her back in the medical bay. "Deca's results about your baby," she explained. "Um, you might want to look at it carefully."

"What's so funny?" Ashley looked at her suspiciously.

"Nothing," Karone said with a straight face. "You two get some sleep."

"There's nothing wrong with the baby, is there?" Andros asked anxiously as Ashley guided him over to his bed. He fell into it instantly, and then sat up again to fix her with a worried stare.

"No, the baby's fine," Ashley assured him. Andros relaxed slightly, only to be alarmed once more as Ashley's eyes widened.

"Ash..."

Ashley's mouth opened and closed several times before any sound came out. "We're... we're having twins."

"We're what?" Andros suddenly felt wide awake. "Let me see that."

Ashley handed him the paper, a slow grin spreading across her face. "We're having twins."

"Twins," Andros repeated softly. "Wow."

"You don't mind, do you?" Ashley asked nervously, plopping down beside him. "I mean, two babies is a lot, and..."

Andros cut her off, leaning over to kiss her deeply. "I love you," he said softly, "and I can't remember ever feeling this happy."

Ashley smiled at him, relieved. "You should really sleep now, you know."

"I know." Andros lay down obediantly, struggling up yet again when Ashley stood. "Where do you think you're going?"

Ashley gestured to her outfit. She was dressed in her flight suit, and while it was perfectly comfortable during the day, it was not the best to sleep in. "I'm going to get some pajamas... Andros, sit down!"

"I'm not letting you out of my sight," Andros said stubbornly, suppressing a yawn, although he did sit down again. Karone's healing powers had their limitations, and his ankle had been hurt more severely than he'd realized. "You can wear something of mine."

Ashley's expression relaxed into a rueful smile, and she nodded, rifling through his drawers until she found his warm-up sweatsuit. It was worn and perfectly comfortable, she decided. Andros watched her change, smiling as he saw how her stomach had begun to fill out. That was his child in there... no, his children, he thought, and his smile grew wider.

Andros rolled over onto his right side to avoid putting any pressure on his injured arm and leg. Ashley crawled into bed beside him, careful of his injuries. Besides the burns on his arm and ankle, there were some burns on his chest as well, in addition to a painful scrape over his ribcage, and wounds from the sword. Miraculously, his head wounds had been only superficial.

"Ash?" Andros asked softly, not quite able to meet her eyes. "Is it okay if I leave the light on?"

It was a foolish fear, he knew, but after three months of nothing but darkness...

"It's fine," Ashley answered a moment later, touching his face gently. "Night, Andros."

"Night, Ash," Andros whispered, closing his eyes and finding that there was nothing that could make them open again. "I love you."

"Love you too," he heard Ashley mumble sleepily. Andros fell asleep with a smile on his face.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Not mine

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** You liked that? I thought it was sweet, too. :P_

_**the-power-of-love:** Thanks, only two more chapters. :P_

_**DizneeDol:** Don't worry, there's two more chapters. I'm glad you like this one better. :P_

_**Sreym:** Thanks. Sol killed himself so the rangers couldn't. Andros and Ashley do have twins a lot, don't they? _

Chapter 14

Andros woke first, Ashley's body warm against his. He kissed her forehead gently, still not daring to believe that this was real, that it hadn't just been a dream. He stroked her hair with his good hand, not wanting to wake her and disturb the peaceful expression she was wearing.

Her eyelids fluttered, and she opened her eyes slowly. When she saw him, a slow smile spread across her face. "Hi," she whispered.

In answer, Andros leaned in and kissed her hungrily. Ashley returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck as his lips left her mouth and moved down her neck. She ran her fingers through his hair, sending a tingling sensation all across his scalp. Deca chose that moment to interrupt.

"Zhane and Karone wished to be notified when you were awake," she informed them. "Are you awake?"

"Deca," Ashley groaned good-naturedly.

Andros laughed. "I missed you too, Deca," he said. He looked longingly at Ashley and sighed. "I guess we're awake."

"I will notify them," Deca said.

"Wait," Andros said. "Where are we? What time is it? What day is it?"

"Today is Thursday. It is seven twenty a.m. in Angel Grove, and one a.m. on KO-35. The journey back to KO-35 is at the halfway point," Deca said. "Estimated arrival time is eight-sixteen in the morning, KO-35 time."

"Thanks, Deca," Andros said. The red light blinked at him before disappearing. Andros stroked Ashley's cheek gently, stopping to touch the marks on her neck guiltily. He'd come so close to losing her...

"It's all right," Ashley said, laying one of her hands over his. "I'm fine."

"I'm still sorry," he said so quietly Ashley almost didn't hear him.

"I know you are," she said, squeezing his hand. "But I don't want you to be. It wasn't your fault."

Andros kissed her gently, his hand dropping to her stomach. "I love you."

Ashley smiled. "And I love hearing you say that... Andros, I love you so much."

"We should get up now," Andros said half-heartedly. The idea of staying here with her all night was tempting.

Ashley sat up and stretched. "I'll go tell Zhane and Karone that you're fine, if you want to sleep," she offered. "I'll bring you some food, too."

"I already told you," Andros said, sitting up as well, "I'm not letting you out of my sight."

He swayed unsteadily on his feet, and Ashley quickly wrapped an arm around his waist. With Andros leaning on Ashley for support, maybe a little more than he needed to, they made their way to the holding bay. Zhane and Karone were already there, and Andros gave them both a hug as he sat down. Ashley ordered him some food, and he ate hungrily.

"So what are we doing once we get back?" Zhane asked. "Do Karone and I have to find another house?"

Andros crammed some more food in his mouth, leaving Ashley to answer. "Well... we haven't set a date for the wedding yet, so you can stay for a little while longer."

"I'm assuming you'll want to be married before the babies are born?" Zhane said. Andros nodded, and glanced at Ashley.

"We could get married on Earth, if you want," he offered. "That way your parents and Jeff won't have to travel... what's wrong?"

Ashley's face fell. "Jeff wants to come," she said, "but my parents, they, well... they didn't take the news so well, and then when they found out I was pregnant..."

"Would it make things worse if I talked to them?" Andros asked her softly. Ashley sighed and nodded.

"Probably," she said. "But Jeff wants to see KO-35."

"So you'll get married there, then," Zhane said decisively. He hesitated and glanced at Andros. _"Are you familiar with the term 'double wedding?' "_

_"Zhane..."_

"Karone, will you marry me?" Zhane asked, slipping out of his seat to kneel before her, producing a ring out of nowhere.

"Silly," Karone said, giving him her hand. "Of course I will."

Andros tried hard to turn his grin into a stern expression, and failed miserably. He was getting married. His best friend was marrying his sister. Ashley was pregnant with twins.

"Andros, how about a month from now?" Ashley asked, slipping her left hand into his right one. His thumb grazed the diamond ring on her finger and he smiled. "That'll give us time to plan, but we'll have plenty of time before the babies."

"Anything you want, Ash," Andros said, squeezing her hand. He glanced at Zhane, who was now holding Karone in his lap. "I'll need a best man."

"So do I... but you'd better make it three," Zhane informed him. "I told TJ, Carlos and Cassie that we found you. They'll be waiting for us on KO-35."

"How'd they get there?" Ashley asked him. Zhane laughed.

"Wouldn't you like to know."


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Not mine. Armin and Paige I borrowed from Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow.

_**Arwennicole: **Thanks. Nope, Ashley's parents are still being mean._

_**the-power-of-love:** Thanks, here's the last chapter._

_**Jenny:** Fine, I'll forgive you. :P_

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Thanks, and I will. :P_

_**DizneeDol:** Thanks, and I did update soon!_

_**Sreym:** Thanks._

_**Melissa:** Yeah, this is the last chapter. There's a few more left in Unsealed Fate. :P_

Chapter 15

Ashley stared at her reflection in the mirror and sighed. Cassie and Karone had sworn that she'd looked gorgeous and that Andros would think so too, but she couldn't help feeling anxious.

"Are you guys sure I look okay?" she asked for the hundredth time. "I mean, it's not a wedding dress..."

Ashley had had her heart set on an old fashioned wedding dress with a corset-like bodice for years, but now she was dressed in a gold satin gown, trimmed with crimson. Andros had refused to let her squeeze her changing body into the dress that she'd wanted, and while she'd been disappointed, Ashley knew that he was right. She hadn't found another dress that she'd liked, so she'd ended up with the one she had on.

"Somehow I don't think Andros will be looking at your dress," Karone said, smoothing her pale pink bridesmaid dress. Cassie nodded her agreement, and added, "I saw him earlier, and he was freaking out even more than you were."

"Cassie!" Ashley wailed. "That's not what I need to hear right now."

"Sorry," Cassie said sheepishly. "But the point is, Andros loves you, and neither of you is really going to remember what the other is wearing."

"Exactly." Karone nodded.

"How are you calm?" Ashley demanded, staring at the girl, who in twenty minutes would be her sister. "You're doing this tomorrow!"

"Just wait until tomorrow," Karone muttered. Then she smiled and added, "Let's go."

"Remember to breathe," Cassie said, half-jokingly. Ashley exhaled and tried to concentrate on walking down the aisle.

"Hey, Ash," Jeff said, appearing out of nowhere, linking his arm through hers. "How ya doin'?"

"Ask me in an hour," Ashley told him, and he laughed. "Jeff, thanks for doing this."

"As long as you're at my wedding," Jeff retorted. Ashley had invited her parents, but they had refused to come, so Jeff had volunteered to walk her down the aisle. From somewhere the music started, and Ashley nearly fainted. "Whoa, calm down."

"I'm trying," Ashley murmured, her grip on her brother becoming painfully tight. "Let's go."

Somehow, she made it down the aisle to Andros, who was staring at her in complete adoration. Behind him stood TJ, Carlos, and Zhane, each dressed in a tux with a shirt in their ranger colors. Jeff placed Ashley's hand in Andros's and gave her an encouraging smile.

Kin Won performed all the marriage ceremonies on KO-35, and theirs was no exception. Ashley listened as he started talking, everything becoming a blur in her mind until after they'd said their vows. Then Kin Won turned to the guests and said, "Andros and Ashley have each written something to say to each other."

Andros went first, his hazel eyes fixed lovingly on Ashley's nervous brown ones.

"Ashley, the day I met you, I was lost and lonely. I had lost everyone that had ever mattered to me, and I was so afraid of it happening again that I tried to stay away from you. But you wouldn't let me hide all alone, afraid. You broke through and let me be the person that I had almost forgotten. You never gave up on me, and every moment that I'm away from you, I feel almost as lost as I did that first day. I love you, Ashley, and I promise you that I will spend the rest of my life trying to make you as happy as you've made me."

"You already have," Ashley said softly, so that only he could hear. "Andros, from the moment I first saw you, I knew that there was something special about you. You've always believed in me, you protected me whenever I would let you, and you've made me feel more loved than I ever thought was possible. I promise you that I will love you forever, and that I will never leave you as long as I am living."

As Andros slipped the golden wedding ring over her finger, Ashley thought her heart would burst with joy.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," Kin Won said. "You may kiss the bride."

Andros drew Ashley to him, and kissed her with all the love he felt for her. Two tears of happiness slowly trickled down Ashley's cheeks, and she gazed up at him, smiling.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," she whispered back, and he smirked at her, lowering his lips to hers for another kiss.

**A few months later**

Andros opened one sleepy eye as Ashley poked him in the ribs. "You okay?"

"Andros," Ashley whispered urgently. "I think I'm in labor."

Andros shot up from his sleep, and flipped on the light. Ashley curled up, letting out a low moan as another contraction hit her. Andros helped her dress before picking her up in his arms and carrying her to the car. He settled her gently in her seat before running back inside to wake Zhane.

Despite his intentions to do otherweise, Andros had never gotten around to kicking Zhane and Karone out of the house, so they were still living there. He smacked his blond friend hard in the back of the head. "Ashley's having the babies."

"That's nice," Zhane mumbled. Andros rolled his eyes and left, not bothering with Karone. She was three months pregnant, and if he woke her, he wouldn't live to see his children.

"We're almost there, Ash," Andros said, trying to soothe his wife, who was trying to keep him from hearing her whimpering with pain. "Hang on."

"Andros, it **hurts**," Ashley said, gasping in pain.

"I know, Ash," Andros said, reaching for her hand. "Just try to think about what comes after this part."

"I'm trying," Ashley said through grit teeth. "Are you going to want more children after this?"

Andros laughed, and squeezed her hand comfortingly. "We can talk about that later."

**Two hours later**

"Andros, aren't they just so beautiful?" Ashley asked, leaning back against him, her daughter cradled in her arms. Andros nodded in agreement, and looked down at his son.

"I just hope they look like you," he said, laughing. Ashley smiled, and tilted her head back to look at him. He kissed her and grinned. "Have I mentioned I love you?"

"I love you too," Ashley said. She kissed him, and then the baby in his arms before the one in her own. "And I love you guys too."

"We should choose names for them," Andros said suddenly.

"I thought we did," Ashley said, looking at him in surprise. "Amina and Aeron. You didn't forget that, did you?"

"Of course not," Andros said indignantly. "But looking at them, the names don't seem right somehow."

Ashley gave each of her children a long look. "What about Armin and Paige?"

Andros smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Perfect."

Paige gurgled happily, and Ashley laughed. "I think she likes it."

"I think so too," Andros said, looking proudly at his two children. He sighed, and said softly, "Everything that ever happened to me... it's worth it now, just so they'll be safe."

"I know what you mean," Ashley said, leaning her head against his shoulder. "You'll be a good daddy."

Andros smiled. "I love you."

Ashley smiled back, and took Armin from him, handing him Paige, nuzzling closer to him. "I love you, Andros."

_A/N: Okay, I'm done. Don't worry, Jenny, no more rewrites. I hope you like it. :P_


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